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by the Quibbler Staff

by reem1226

One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Wall. Turn. One. Two. Three. Ow... Desk.

 

I hobbled the short distance to my chair and sat down. I knew it was a bad idea to pace in the cramped Newsroom. But what else could I do? I was waiting for Marie to rush in with her brilliant Quibbler Quest! Issue 62 was designed and almost ready to be sent to Jahnavi for the final edits, but we were missing the iconic Quibbler Quest. I couldn't wait any longer. I decided to chase down Marie and find out why she was taking so long.

 

I rushed out of the newsroom, nimbly dodging Angela, who was muttering to herself as she scribbled on a piece of parchment covered in messy numbers and Galleon symbols. I rushed up to Ravenclaw Tower, snuck past Nicole's office and knocked on Marie's office door. I heard muffled murmurs and a light thud as something collided with the other side of the barrier. I tentatively opened the door and saw a crumpled ball of parchment hit the wall next to my head.

 

I picked it up and saw crossed out writing with a quickly scrawled note in the margins.

 

Twas the night after Christmas, and all through the house... Sounds too stupid... 

 

The crumpled balls of paper on the floor were evidence that Marie had not finished the Quibbler Quest, but instead of seeing her scribbling madly away at her desk, I found her wrapped up in blankets on her couch.

 

I wondered what happened. "Marie? Are you okay?"

 

Marie looked up at me with hazy eyes, "I don't think I'm feeling well. I just --" Marie broke off with a yawn.

 

I could tell from the crystal vials labelled "Pepperup Potion" scattered at the small table next to the couch that she most likely had caught a cold. If Marie looked so bad, even with the help of potions, she must be horribly sick. "It's okay. I'll handle the Quest, okay?"

 

"That would be great. Thank you." Marie murmurs as she already starts to nod off.

 

I nodded and walked out of Marie's office with my mind whirring with ideas of a fabulous snowy adventure out on a hunt for magical conspiracy theories. Being so distracted, I didn't notice the small piece of parchment on the floor and slipped on it. I seemed to be getting into so many mishaps today. I got off the ground and picked up the scrap of parchment. It read:

 

Marieeeee, can you send me those "bizarre" Christmas things that you said you would send me? Thanks!

- Angela

 

I wasn't sure why this piece of parchment was outside Marie's door, but I knew that if Marie was sick enough that she couldn't even write the Quibbler Quest, there was no way she'd be able to find Christmas decorations in this large, drafty castle. That meant that I had to help her find the decorations! Angela couldn't have a boring, non-festive office! She owns "Tis the Season" for goodness' sake, she better be [i]in-season[/i] with her decorating!

 

So, where would Marie have put these "bizarre Christmas things" that she was going to send Angi? Knowing Marie, she wouldn't have put them in a box on her desk, all labelled and ready to be brought over. Besides, sneaking a glance into Marie's office, it was a mess in there anyways. I wouldn't have been able to find a live reindeer if I had to.

How to Have a Very Potter Christmas

Hogwarts Holiday Hustle & Bustle

 by Harmony203

Hello, ladies and gentlemen! My name is Reem, and todaaaaaaaay, I'll be schooling you on how to survive school with mH. I know that many of you reading this article are still in school, whether that may be middle school, high school, or even college! Sometimes, it can be increasingly difficult to manage both worlds with all the work, since you might have an English essay here and a DADA assignment there, but being a person who is in muggle school and Hogwarts, I can safely say that I've got the solution! 

Don't spend too much time on mH! Yep, I said it. Despite the fact that all of you love mH and can't possibly leave it for more than an hour (because I'm sure that your teacher won't be too happy with you being on mH while he explains the quadratic formula), you need to know when to be on and when not to be. During school, I highly suggest that you lay off mH because you can utilize your free time to do some school work rather than answerPM's. If you do some work at school, you'll find that your muggle school workload has lessened which means that you have more time on mH! School time is for school only, and I sound like a teacher. Wonderful.

Reward yourself with mH! Let's say that your darn Geometry teacher decided to give you a big old packet for you to solve. I know, it's a nightmare! I don't deserve that packet! Unfortunately, you still have to do this packet, so do it. To make it fun, or, at least, somewhat manageable, reward yourself with a half-hour of mH after finishing it. If you answer all the complicated variables and find stupid x at least a hundred times, not to mention y, go on mH and start on your Magical Healing assignment! Remember, though, only 30 minutes on mH, then it's back to schoolwork if you have more!

Schedule your work! Let's say that you're a person who completes all their work during the weekdays. TEACH ME YOUR WAYS! No, but really, that's a good thing. It means that your weekends are free. Sure, you might go out with your friends or want some me-time, but you gotta have some mH time too! If you're a 1-4th Year student, do two tasks a day! (I mean assignments, OWL/NEWT has gotten to me  ). If you're an OWL/NEWT, do tasks! It's what I did when I joined mH, and look where I am! I'm only a year away from adding red to my blue! (For those of you that are not fluent in the language of art, red+blue is purple  ). However, if you get your work done on the weekend, try spreading your mH workload during the five days. In the end, categorize when you do schoolwork and when you do mH work.

That's it! I hope that these three tips will help you manage RL work and mH work! I've struggled for a few weeks during my early days with how to manage my work, but these ways have really helped me! I hope it helps you as well!

The holidays are upon us, ladies and gentlemen! The time has come for baking cookies and building gingerbread houses! Of course, each and every one of you has a tradition with your family, except me perhaps because I don't celebrate the holidays. However, if you're a true Potterhead, here's some advice on how to add a sprinkle of your favourite fandom into your holiday! Yep, a non-celebrator is telling you how to celebrate your holidays. Well, I hope Mariah Carey has helped me learn a little about Christmas to actually pull this off!

Now, let's start with the elephant in the room. Your Christmas tree! I know that people hand stuff and lights and baubles on them to make them super flashy and beautiful. However, there is always an angel or something on top! Why don't we substitute your usual topper with that of Hedwig?! For your Muggle guests they would think that this just an artsy tree topper, but for the wizards and witched among your family, they might just be able to detect that the owl is no ordinary owl but an honourable Hedwig. Of course, there are countless Harry Potter-themed baubles you can place on your tree, but be subtle! You're celebrating Christmas, not Pottermas! Oooooh, I wonder what Pottermas would look like.....

My favourite part! FOOD! From the many YouTube videos I've watched, I have deduced that people eat turkey. Well, I'm not going to talk about turkey because my expertise comes to a halt there. However, I do have some interesting ideas for the sweeter part of Christmas! Desserts! Let's start off with the cookies. I, for one, love cookies, so why not Potter them up? If you're planning on making a Santa cookie, just give him a bigger beard and some half-moon glasses and BAM, Dumble Claus! There are many other ways to decorate your cookies like decorating them with the Hogwarts houses! You can bake little Cauldron Cakes that will absolutely look adorable. I just Googled them and they look so delicious! Instead of hot cocoa, how about some Butterbeer? Lastly, channel your inner Molly Weasley by making your own chocolate fudge! It is her specialty, why not make it your own?

For the final way to make your Christmas more Potter-y, buy some Harry Potter stuff for those you love! Whether it's a shirt with your loved one's favourite house or the books themselves, there are an array of Harry Potter gifts to choose from! This doesn't necessarily make YOUR Christmas more Potter, but it does make whoever you're gifting's Christmas! Especially if they're die-hard Harry Potter fans! Just give them something unique like a wand or some limited edition merchandise. The season is all about giving, of course, so you'll be making the people around you happy!

And that concludes my ways of making your Christmas more Potter-y! Although I don't celebrate the holidays, I wish you all a happy and merry Christmas! Hope Santa got you what you always wanted! And, uh, watch out for the Grinch? He's that green man, right? Whatever, if you'll excuse me, I'll just devour some KitKats!

Christmas in HP canon is depicted as a very festive, beautiful event. The pristine white snow that covers the Hogwarts ground, thanks to its location in the highlands of Scotland. Christmas isn’t the only holiday at this time of year and even those that don’t celebrate Christmas take part in the season of kindness and giving. What can you do at Hogwarts during this wonderful time? Besides admiring the aesthetic of a snowy castle decorated for the holidays? Check out the list below for some ideas.
 

  • Have a snowball fight (50 points for hitting Prof. Quirrell's turban)

  • Antagonize suits of armour until they sing your favourite carols

  • Attend the Christmas feast (drink eggnog and try your luck with wizarding crackers!)

  • Slide down the banisters of the Grand Staircase, decorate with everlasting icicles

  • Compare the warm, dry snow from the Great Hall with the cold, wet snow from the courtyards

  • Prank the notorious scrooges of Hogwarts, Professor Snape and Professor Trelawney (she maintains that Christmas is a joke since she's never seen Father Christmas with her "Inner Eye")


On mH, Christmas is also a celebrated time, with multiple StoatsElm shops (re-)opening and/or having sales. The poor goblins have to process a much larger number of vault edits and shop owners enjoy the nice increase in profit. This year, there has been a rather suspicious absence of organized events during this busy season. Still, there are a number of things you can do to celebrate the holidays! 
 

  • Take a break with interim and go buy gifts for yourself because you deserve it after those grueling four weeks of school 

  • Watch a game of Shuntbumps on the Playing Field by Hogsmeade Station

  • Throw a protest in the Courtyards for a lack of holiday events in the castle! 

  • Buy friends for your friends from shops in Stoatshead with special holiday-themed goods such as Lumos, Disney Divine, Tis the Season, Mysterious Mixtures, Emerald Inventions, and so many more! 

  •  Create more work for the Post Office Shop Assistant by ordering gifts from Elm Bank, especially with the new goods at Bewitching Blooms, Creature Corner, Charismatic Clothing, and The Smithy’s Forge

  • Watch the Wise Souls v Brash Young Ones match at the Ottery Quidditch Pitch


With the vast number of different things you could be doing the holidays, I expect that everyone will be quite busy running around celebrating the festive season which is a perfect opportunity for me to sneak up to the third floor with no professors watching. I mean, I’ll be sitting peacefully in the Three Broomsticks drinking Butterbeer.

Quibbler Quest:

Holiday Mishaps

by Harmony203

Although... what if I didn't have to find a live reindeer? A dead reindeer would be something bizarre, wouldn't it? Wait, no. It wouldn't be bizarre, it would be morose. Who would even decorate with dead reindeer? My mind flitted to Gaston and I realized that morons decorated with dead reindeer. Too bad Angi wasn't a moron. Drat.

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was certainly bizarre, even if I have no clue what it's doing on Marie's desk, though. I summoned my backpack and put the weird statue inside. I looked around Marie's office one last time, noting that she definitely needed to stock up on cheese. She had only 12 blocks left which I'm sure would be finished in a week. Hold on, what is that? I took a careful step closer to the pile of cheese and noticed that one of them is shaped like a christmas tree. Why would someone have a block a cheese in the shape of a Christmas tree? Well, it was Marie. No one knows why she does what she does with cheese.

 

 

Speaking of Marie, I looked over at the pile of blankets I was assuming Marie was sleeping under. Hold on. That wasn't a blanket. There was only one edge, near Marie's socks. I could see Marie's hands and feet, and it didn't look like she was tucked in either. What was this bizarre contraption keeping Marie warm?! I crept closer to the sofa Marie was sleeping on and almost knocked over a pile of unwrapped presents.

 

Upon closer inspection, the fake blanket looked like a very fuzzy, misshapen robe. Suddenly, I spotted a sliver of white among the red and green mess. It looked like a tag! I read the tag and discovered that Marie was sleeping in a Christmas Slanket, whatever that means. Why would anyone decide to call something a slanket? Call it.... a fuzzy robe! A blanket/sweater hybrid! A sweater-blanket.

 

Marie shifted in her weird not-blanket and tucked her hands into her sleeves. She must have been getting cold. I glanced around the room for a spare blanket and upon spotting one, non-verbally summoned it. I draped the blanket carefully over Marie and noticed that where the spare blanket was, originally, there was another "slanket". This one was in red and white, but I figured Angi could change its colour with a colour-changing charm if she really wanted to.

 

I snagged the spare "slanket" on my way out, making sure not to slip on any more pieces of parchment. Of course, that meant that I was looking at the floor and not where I was going, and bumped my side on Marie's desk. OW. Again. I resigned myself to a day of accidents and quickly made my way down to the Angi's office in the First Floor Corridor.

 

I left my bag of "bizarre" items outside Angi's door with a note that said "As promised. Merry Christmas!". I had to go find my stash of bruise paste, from back when I was getting beat up almost daily in Quidditch practice. It felt like my entire body hurt. Ow...

Taking a closer look at the mess in Marie's office, I could see something that looked like a reindeer, but not quite. What was it? It looked like a figurine of some sort of reindeer/cow hybrid with a red nose?!​​

I shrunk the cheese tree into my backpack and quickly scrawled a note to Marie apologizing for stealing her cheese. I would have to buy her some cheese from her own shop as a New Year's gift or something. I started stepping over the number piles of who-knows-what on Marie's office floor when I once again slipped on parchment and fell to the floor. What was it with me and falling over today? It was as if Marie had set up this Quibbler Quest to see me fall. A lot.

A Day without Tradition is a Day without Sunshine

by chloecs


Traditions; the transmission of customs or beliefs from generation to generation, or the fact of being passed on in this way. Around the Holidays, everyone has their own little traditions. The Holiday season is full of cheer and family, quality time spent with the people you love. Every year we pass down these lovely traditions to our children and our children's children. Have you ever thought about how many of the largest known traditions have come to be? 

A common sight around the Holidays is trees. Putting up trees have been a huge tradition for many cultures for generations and generations. For thousands of years, during the winter, Pagans would put evergreen branches around their houses, as a sign of a great spring to come. The Romans have also been known for using fir trees for decorating purposes. When the festival of Saturnalia came around, the Romans would decorate with fir trees in the temples. Around one thousand years ago, the Christians first started using fir trees as a sign of everlasting life. Along with many other places around the world, trees were very commonly used to decorate around those times and have been passed down for thousands of years, until now in 2017!

You've probably heard of kissing under the mistletoe, right? The tradition goes way back to Ancient tales, but the one I'm going to discuss starts in Ancient Greece. Mistletoes is a symbol of healing. It was used to heal anything from simple cramps to awful diseases. It's been noticed by many cultures all the way to its latest bit of history in the Middle Ages in England. Around this time, mistletoe was a great symbol of fertility and vitality, but now mistletoe has just become a tradition for the Christmas season. The actual kissing tradition started with the lower class, servants before it ever made its way to the middle class. Whenever a woman was found standing under the mistletoe, a man was allowed to then steal a kiss from her. If they refused, it was seen as bad luck upon themselves. 

The last tradition I'm going to delve deeper into is none other than Santa Claus! The man we know as Santa with his jolly ol' grin and plump tummy, has a history that reaches back all the way to the 3rd century. The legend begins with a monk, St. Nicholas who was born in 280 AD in modern day Turkey. He was known for his wealth, but his giving nature with it. His Feast Day is celebrated on December 6th, the day he passed. Over time he became the most known Saint in Europe, and once the New World was discovered, he was about to become huge worldwide. The name Santa Claus evolved from Sinter Klaas, shortened from Sint Nikolaas, which is Dutch for St. Nick. The idea of a man named Santa Claus who brought gifts on Christmas evolved for centuries to where we are now. 

I hope everyone had some Happy Holidays and to 2018 let's go, myHogwarts! 

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