Bagman Games
by Harmony203
A battle of wit and brawn was happening right outside the walls of Hogwarts and no one noticed! 10 alumni participated in the first ever Bagman Games hosted by Devon Co-Mayors, Arielle and Tessa.
The players were shuffled off to different parts of Devon including Little Whinging, Grimmauld Park, and Ottery End. A variety of events were featured in the Games: Quodpot, Gobstones, and Bludger Pong. And although these games were planned to last until Week 5, updates mysteriously stopped. Whyever could that be? Could some ill fortune have fallen upon the hosts?
Bludger Pong, a notably violent sport, passed without issue. Admittedly, there were several injuries, but that's to be expected in Bludger Pong. Notably, Crystalink hit the bludger more times than any other player, including a bludger aimed at the opposite team. Her frequent participation makes one wonder just how troublesome this year's Divination students are... but at least she was beating up bludgers rather than taking out her anger on her "innocent" students. Crystalink indirectly caused willowmyst's severe injury of cracked ribs which raises the question, what grudge does Crystalink have against the current Gryffindor Head of House? The Divination professor cited tiredness as an excuse, but it doesn't take training in Divination to foresee the consequences of playing a dangerous sport with little sleep! Anyways, willowmyst's injury resulted in the end of the match with the Storm Fairies winning!
Next, the players were let loose in Grimmauld Park to play Quodpot, a slightly less violent sport with the Quod exploding only two times in the course of the game. The entirety of the game spanned 7 days and a total of 1192 posts! It was quite a close call with the teams being tied by the halfway mark but the Storm Fairies managed to squeeze in one last shoot-out in which they scored almost two dozen goals and won by a margin of almost 20 goals!
Several arguments broke out in the games with a couple members from each team complaining about unfair advantages. As you all know, to prevent spamming, members have to wait a certain number of seconds before posting again. However, admin wait only 5 seconds while regular alumni have to wait the standard 30 seconds. This split second advantage is particularly useful in stressful shoot-outs when members from both teams are present and everyone is scrambling to post as quickly as they can. You would think that by the time members have reached the "purple" stage, they would be responsible enough to deserve a shorter post wait time, but noooooooo, they don't. Perhaps we can petition Liam to shorten the wait time!
Meanwhile, despite all the drama happening on the Quodpot pitch, half of the teams were engaged in a battle of wit and chance. Well, they were playing Gobstones in the Outdoor Activity Centre. The first round of Gobstone games started with Harmony203 vs. SusanHP, willowmyst vs. Rae, and Nashoka vs. crockhanks. Now, the mayors ensured that both varieties of this game were played with the first game, which is rather intriguing as that must have made keeping track of the games rather hard for Arielle. Perhaps she wanted to practice her multitasking skills to practice for chess tournaments or perhaps she just wanted to promote equity. Nobody knows but her.
In the game with Harmony203 and SusanHP, the game ended in a tie with both players having dropped into the snake pit once and landing only 1 away for their other two gobstones. The game was resolved with 2 tiebreakers and SusanHP was named the winner. willowmyst vs. Rae, both players played a rather conservative game and willowmyst was declared the winner. In the game with Nashoka and crockhanks, Nashoka lost by time resulting a default win for crockhanks.
This is the good part! In Week 4, Tessa started the two remaining games but she became busy and Arielle had to take over the games. However, how can we be sure that Tessa was indeed "busy"? Suspiciously, Tessa came back for only one update before disappearing altogether and Arielle had to monitor the games permanently. Now, in one game (Jenna Rae vs. Golden Snidget), Jenna was the one halting the game's progress which is understandable as summer camp planning has started. Yet, in the match with Crystalink vs. Memrah, the players' and mayors' updates were spaced out and the mayors just stopped updating altogether. A rather disappointing end to an otherwise successful event.
Overall, it seems like the Storm Fairies have won this year's Bagman Games but hopefully, this event continues next year as it encouraged alumni participation and was quite fun to watch! In the future, some players suggest including other games such as Shuntbumps. Perhaps bringing in some help to keep up with updates would make the event truly, a blast!
Flying Fwooper Extravaganza
by Rae
Professor Memrah didn’t let last year’s mishaps with the Nifflers deter her from doing practical lessons again this year. The first of these lessons focused on Fwoopers. For those who don’t know, Fwoopers are magical birds from Africa whose song can make the listener go insane.
Despite the dangers associated with handling these creatures, students seem eager to do so. I sat down with two of them ato get their perspectives on the lesson.
My first interview guest was Mellsuili, a 2nd year Hufflepuff. Mellsuili said she wanted to do the practical lessons again this year because “I did think back to how much fun it was in my first practical, and thought I would have the same amount of fun. So all in all, I participated because I just wanted to have fun and maybe learn a thing or two.”
When asked about the dangers presented, Mellsuili stated: “to be honest, I didn’t know we were handling creatures that can make you go mentally insane, so I didn’t prepare at all!” Despite not preparing, Mellsuili completed the lesson with her sanity intact. This could be contributed to the fact that all students learned how to cast the Silencing Charm. “’It (the silencing charm) is pretty fun when you start getting better at it. I learned Fwoopers can make you go insane by its sounds…and I didn’t realize the Silence Charm had faded away from the Fwooper. I also learned that Fwoopers come in 4 colors-pink, orange, lime green, and yellow.’”
Despite the dangers presented in the lesson, Mellsuli said she would do a practical again, exclaiming “Oh yeah, I would! I would be ironically insane if I didn’t! They’re so much fun, and you can actually do stuff! You don’t have to sit down and answer questions, YOU LITERALLY DO STUFF. I do feel partially confident in handling Fwoopers. I don’t know how strong my Silence Charm is yet, and you do need a pretty strong one. I may or may not enter the CHAT for Fwoopers though!“
My second interview guest, Annelise, a 4th year Ravenclaw, echoed Mellsuili’s sentiments. She said “practical lessons are a way to get outside the classroom and explore in a more realistic setting. The interactives this year have better prepared me for potentially working with animals later in life, or at the very least, at least understanding them if I were to encounter them in the while. While not all creatures can be studied up close, seeing Fwoopers and other creatures is a great way to learn responsibility and of course have a ton of fun! Even if I get in trouble, I’d rather say I learned things up close rather than staying only in a classroom all day.”
Annelise said she decided to take Care of Magical Creatures because “I have always loved animals and all my friends told me how awesome the class was.” When asked about possibly owning a Fwooper, she said “I do feel confident and while I will not take the CHAT yet, I will likely in the future, I’m not ready to own any animals right now.”
I also had the opportunity to speak with Professor Memrah about the lesson and handling magical creatures in general.
Memrah said “The primary thing is that they (students) genuinely learn, and are able to adapt. Getting into a mindset of how to deal with a certain creature will usually produce more harm than good, as they all have different temperaments and can surprise you. Therefore, while you need the knowledge of how to deal with a specific creature, you also need to learn to still be respectful and cautious with them at all times. It is also important to not be skittish or jumpy around most, as with most magical beings, creatures that possess magic can occasionally react with their abilities when startled.
We have some amazing creatures in this world, but they should always be treated with respect and a knowledgeable hand. Never try to tackle one on your own unless you have been properly trained, but if you want to get into this field, it is a very rewarding one, and highly unique in nature. In other words, it's a great pursuit, but don't enter into it lightly or thinking it will be easy! Just ask some of my former students, more than one of which found some creatures more than a mere handful.
“It is important to be knowledgeable about magical creatures in case they are encountered in the wild, and because creatures are such a vital part of the world. While we don't deal with dark creatures especially, many magical creatures have things about them that can be dangerous or alter the mental state, such as Fwoopers. It is also important for creature and pet lovers, of course, as they need to know which creatures can be tamed, and how to properly handle them so that no harm comes to the owner or creature itself."
Owning a Fwooper is not for everyone and can be quite dangerous. This is why the ministry requires all potential owners to undergo training. The training is taught by Kalia, C.H.A.T. Instructor and Herbology Professor, at the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. Only one person so far is authorized to own Fwoopers and that is meowingmormon. More details and sign-ups for the training can be found at Level 4 of the Ministry.
Muggles Explain Magic: What is Love?
by Rose Jean
In celebration of Pride Month, Madam Puddifoot’s opened its doors during Interim to host a Pride Week Celebration. Visitors dropped by the tea shop to talk about what makes them proud, the dreams they wish to achieve, and what love means to them. To wizards, love is a very powerful form of magic, and the truest form of love can do great things. There is still much we can’t explain about love, so much so that the Department of Mysteries has a room dedicated to studying how the magic of love works.
As for Muggles, they have more structured ideas about the concept of love. Psychologists who study the human mind and philosophers who study the existence of love have tried many times to explain it. One theory by the Ancient Greeks puts love into several categories, each having unique characteristics. These categories can explain the types of love we’ve seen in the history of our wizarding community.
Philia – Also known as brotherly love, philia can usually be seen between siblings or between friends. Albus Dumbledore showed philia love when he stood by his siblings’ side against Grindelwald. After witnessing his sister’s death, he ended his friendship with Grindelwald and focused on his family. Philia love can also be seen between friends like the Golden Trio. The friendship between Harry, Ron, and Hermione is founded on goodness, trust, and compassion.
Storge – This kind of love is usually seen in parents to their children. They love their children unconditionally and would sacrifice for them. A great example is Lily Potter’s love for her son, Harry, which led her to take a Killing Curse to save him. In the end, it was this love that was so powerful that it defeated Voldemort that same night.
Ludus – This is a kind of playful love that is usually seen in the early stages of a relationship. Take for example Lavender Brown’s love for Ron Weasley. Their relationship began in a very flirty and playful way, and the couple appeared to be having a fun time with each other. The legendary Won-Won nickname happened when Lav-Lav covered Ron’s eyes from behind, after all!
Pragma – This love is founded on practicality instead of feelings. It is a kind of love displayed out of duty and long-term interests. This could mean marrying someone because of your family’s influence, as is the case with Bellatrix marrying Rodolphus Lestrange. It could also mean a long-term relationship that has evolved to be one where each person pays attention to their duties. Arthur and Molly are a great power couple who dutifully took care of each other and their children.
Agape – Also known as universal love, this is a type of love that is concerned with the greater good. It is displayed to everyone, regardless of familiarity. Usually it comes across as charity and generosity. During the Battle of Hogwarts, Harry willingly sacrificed himself to Voldemort, surrendering his body so that the last horcrux could be defeated. He did this for the greater good, to deal one more blow at Voldemort and bring his defeat sooner.
Philautia – This is self-love, which can be both positive and negative. In the negative sense, Voldemort had excessive self-love, seeking glory and even defying death by using horcruxes. On the other hand, Neville Longbottom is a great example of how he gained philautia. He started off as a first year who considered himself as a “nobody”, but eventually gained self-assurance to recognize the bravery within him and the true Gryffindor that he is.
