Prof. Sky Alton

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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.

7994

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

7967 (Come on, guys, let's see if we can get to 9000 before the end of the term!)

I slap Ada because she has Orios and I don't

Hi Enola, great to see you in The Den!

"Thank you," Sky says with painful dignity, scouring what she can see of it off with her wand. "How are those bite marks? Healing nicely?" She follows his gaze over to Manya and Rose, noting how drawn and unhappy Manya looks. "Manya, why don't you come over here? This telescope has got the best view for the meteor shower," she calls, smiling warmly. "Rose, you should come too. You can take it in turns to look and help each other with your star charts. There's a prize for the most complete one, don't forget."

Sky hurries up the last few steps to the Astronomy Tower. She's only just managed to finish up in the greenhouse after a long session of gathering plants by starlight. Not for the first time, she finds herself cursing whatever it is that makes potion ingredients particularly powerful when gathered at certain times (they're usually stupidly late or stupidly early). "Evening, everyone. Nice night for it." She sets out a stack of extra star charts that she was asked to bring up and glances around, only now becoming aware of the soil scattered on the sleeve of her robe.

Happy birthday here, too! You deserve all the cake in the world. <3

You emerge onto the top of the Astronomy Tower and the cold takes your breath away. The night is incredibly still and clear, ideal for star gazing. You huddle deeper in your cloak and make your way towards the long line of telescopes. Situation: The Astronomy Department is taking advantage of the long winter nights to organise some community star gazing sessions for the entire school. This might sound like an incredibly peaceful (if chilly) way to spend a few hours but there are also prizes up for grabs for those who create the most detailed star charts so it could get astronomically competitive. There might even be a meteor shower tonight… Location: You can roleplay anywhere on top of or within the Astronomy Tower. Remember to read the guidelines before jumping in. Have fun!

2020 is nearly at an end and so is the Autumn term. Most classes will have a final deadline of 15th January but make sure you double check yours so you know for certain when you need to get any last minute assignments sent in by. We're lagging a little behind in that cup race right now so let's start off 2021 right and snag a few extra points if we possibly can. :D If you signed up for Secret Elf, the deadline is drawing near! Remember to get your gift sent off to the organisers at the dedicated activity email before 11:59 PM HOL-time on the 31st of December. Land of the Sweets is also in full swing. Make sure you head over to the main forum to enjoy some of the sweet, festive goodness on offer before January 17th! Go go Gryffindor!

Sky lands lightly beside the gaggle of students. "Great to see you back, Manya," she smiles at the newly arrived first year. She gestures over her shoulder. "Some people are trying to set up a curling match over there if anyone's interested. It's this strange muggle sport."

Happy birthday, Rose! I hope you have a superb day full of magic and that you get many, many books.