The Doom of Graduation
Halloween is an annual holiday, perhaps more popularized in some places than others, celebrated on October 31st. Originating back to more than 2,000 years ago, Halloween began with the ancient Celtic New Year festival of Samhain. The Celts would light bonfires and adorn themselves in various costumes in attempts to ward off ghosts and evil spirits that were believed to return to Earth on this day. Marking the end of a summer full of good harvest and instead signaling the commencement of a harsh winter, this festival is associated with evil and death, and protected the Celts against the possible dangers. In centuries to follow, implementing some of the customs and traditions of Samhain, Pope Gregory III delegated a day to honor all the saints, November 1st. The day before this holiday was known as All Hallows Eve and that is the day as we know today - Halloween.
As time and history flew by, Halloween became less of a superstitious day and more of a joyous holiday for food, parties, activities, and the occasional scares. There are numerous traditions associated with Halloween that exist today amongst those who celebrate it, mostly in good nature, but there was a period with superlative vandalism of houses, property, and neighborhoods throughout. Now, the vandalism has decreased, making the day the more existing holiday of leisure and mirth as we know today, despite the occasional egging of houses and other pranks in good nature, as aforementioned. The Head Students (AnneliseWolfe and Asphodel) decided to play upon the primarily American tradition of extravagant trick-or-treating (although practiced in other countries as well); students got into costumes and trick-or-treated at Alumni desks. A version of this event was conducted back in Year 37 as well - for 2016’s Halloween. The number of sweets each student that posted received was determined by a random number generator at the discretion of the alumni in question. If a student did not receive any sweets by an alumni, they got the delightful opportunity to play a prank on the poor alumni. Acted out by Filch, some pranks included spiders being released, fake caramelized apples, and angry honey bees; needless to say, those students were taken care of and never seen again. ;) All in all, this was a fun event for student and alumni alike, despite the students wreaking havoc the next day in their sugar high frenzy.
In addition to the Head Student Halloween event, Madam Puddifoot's opened again for the holiday season. Run by EllaLuna and grinch2019, third and first year respectively, they brought out other famed traditions of Halloween. Pumpkin Carving, Halloween Dress-Up, and Revolting Recipes were just a few of the numerous activities the two ran. Many participated in the event, the predominant being students. Of these participants, the top earners were Willow Maid, EnglishPhoenix, and Daanya.
I hope everyone has had a marvelous Halloween and see you next issue! :)
Halloween Extravaganza
by awesome_forever
Terrific Egypt
by Rose Jean
Terrific Tours launched their inaugural tour in Week 7, and I had the pleasure to journey along with the Of-Ages with my press pass! The first tour took our group to Egypt, where we could trace the steps that the Weasleys took on their family vacation. If you’re curious about what exactly happened on the trip, keep reading! Be warned that I cannot disclose everything (you’ll have to buy a ticket and find out ), but I’ll give you a sneak peek through my own experience. Here is what is advertised in Terrific Tours’ first brochure with my experience.
“Start off exploring two of Egypt’s most important cities, including wizarding quarters and a luxury hotel…”
I took a portkey just in time to check-in at an extravagant hotel with excellent customer service. The front desk handled everyone’s room keys, and I managed to land a room with a beautiful seaside view. Pro tip #1: be prepared to spend some quality time with a roommate! The luxurious Princess Suite was reserved for our lovely Headmaster, and if you’re curious about what he did as Prince(ss) of Egypt, you need only look back at the PPP from a few weeks ago...
The brochure also promised an exploration of the wizarding quarters, and boy was I glad that it included shopping! I was able to convert some galleons into the local currency and managed to buy one-of-a-kind goods like a golden sun disc ring and a beautiful scroll. Pro tip #2: Save up if you love to shop and make sure to actively interact with the shopkeepers!
The second city we visited was certainly a treat for historians and linguists. Having the opportunity to be immersed in Egyptian culture and fashion, Memrah won the best-dressed award of the evening. We were also tasked by some Egyptian wizards to translate a scroll. For Of-Ages who went on tour and for readers who are up for the challenge, see the scroll below and hover your wand over it to see the translation appear…
“… followed by a 2-day river cruise south down the Nile, stopping at major pyramid complexes of Giza and Saqqara…”
I have to say that I found the cruise to be most relaxing part of the tour, where I could just sit down and enjoy the sights as the tour guides explained. This part of the tour is perfect for those interested in magizoology, and I reckon we even saw a creature from one of my CoMC practical lessons! Unfortunately, it wasn’t close enough to steal ;)
“… followed by a 2-day river cruise south down the Nile, stopping at major pyramid complexes of Giza and Saqqara…”
I have to say that I found the cruise to be most relaxing part of the tour, where I could just sit down and enjoy the sights as the tour guides explained. This part of the tour is perfect for those interested in magizoology, and I reckon we even saw a creature from one of my CoMC practical lessons! Unfortunately, it wasn’t close enough to steal
“… Cruise ends at Luxor from where further opportunities to explore the wealth of Egyptian history in the Valley of the Kings and Karnak.”
If Egypt instantly reminds you of curse breaking, then you will enjoy what awaits you in Luxor. This part of the tour is perfect for thrill-seeking adventurers who want to get their adrenaline pumping. Pro tip #3: Running and brain power is required here, so wear fitness clothing and drink some Wit-Sharpening Potion before you go!
“Ending the holiday with a trip into the desert on camelback, where you will experience the real wizarding Egypt.”
This here was complete cultural immersion as I entered a wizarding society in Egypt. There were lots to learn about their history, traditions, and social issues that are unique from what we are familiar with. I had a taste of a special tea that I will never drink again unless I go back! Poetry is also valued here, with Headmaster Liam showing off his rhymes, followed by an emotional, magical journey with fellow wizards.
Overall, this tour was an experience you will only find in Egypt! It was truly refreshing, and I found myself waiting in excitement to see what activities we would do next. With every new day, there were more fun things to do and facts to learn. The most important pro tip is #4: the tour is what you make of it so immerse yourself in Egypt and make the experience your own!
Terrific Tours is currently offering tours for alumni, with a ticket price including travel, accommodation, and food. You must get a permit to travel from the Department of Magical Transportation before you go, or risk being deported! Students can only go on tour if accompanied by an Of-Age, and only during summer or interim. For more information, visit Terrific Tours and keep an eye on the Brochure Stand for upcoming tour dates!
Halloween means a lot of things for a lot of people - movie, food, dressing up, carving a pumpkin, trick-or-treating, or you have it! The Quibbler decided to hold a few polls to see what the mH Quibbler readers like and it has found out that a popular movie amongst mHers is Hocus Pocus! Ironically enough, an article about Hocus Pocus has been written (Page 2). Another poll was asking to choose between "tricks" or "treats," and although a very close vote, treats took the prize. Do mH Quibbler readers have too much of a sweet tooth? ;) Whether they may or may not have a sweet tooth, they truly are Harry Potter fans inside and out, as they have said that if they plan to dress up for this year's Halloween, they would go as Harry Potter characters.
Halloween Polls ~ Results
✧ Quibbler Quest ✧
By Eowyn29
Hello readers, and welcome to my column! You may have noticed something a bit different this issue, and that is *drumroll* I’m not writing Theories of Things! However, fear not, because I’ll be going back to my original plan next issue. So, I’m doing the Quibbler Quest (aargh I’m so excited), and that means that I’m going on a quest (you don’t say)!
To write this article, I had to go through some BECKY NO type situations, but I’m here now - providing that some people *ahem* don’t change everything I write. But anyway, onto the article:
So, it was a dark and stormy night (only a few days ago, let’s be real here) and I was sitting down to write my article. I knew that it had to be some sort of quest after the message I got, and I quote: “yo you can do the quibbler quest.” Don’t I have such a great relationship with my editor that she just tells me to do things, that there’s a chance that I’ll do it on time? Gah, I need to stop getting side-tracked! Right, so I was gonna write my article, and then tragedy struck! Where was my notebook?! This was the notebook that so many ship names, fanfictions, and conspiracy theories had come out of! I hadn’t even made a backup copy of my current [ship that shall not be named because I don’t want to be fired] fanfic! So, lo and behold, I realised that this was my destiny! I must go on a quest to find my notebook!
Before leaving my dorm, I packed some basic essentials (such as some leftover Halloween goodies and Sherlock the ant) and set off down the corridor, gaining more strange looks than usual. I was only about halfway down the stairs, when I saw a secret trapdoor! I was mildly confused, as I’d been hiding in that staircase for ages pretending to be a Huffle ninja , and naturally (me being an idiot) I decided to try and open it. Notice the try because Sherlock the ant is probably stronger than me. Eventually, after 20 minutes of trying, I wedged the trapdoor open a bit. I couldn’t possibly fit through it, so I decided to shove my bag through, which was inevitably a bad idea. It plopped through the trapdoor and I didn’t hear it hit the ground for a while. Wincing, I tried to squidge myself through, to no avail other than making a lot of groaning sounds and deciding to become an animagus to have a chance to get myself through. Luckily, I managed to wedge my legs through, and used them to attempt to kick the trapdoor open, and, amazingly, it worked!
When I had hit the ground, I found myself in a dark tunnel. Was this the Chamber of Secrets? I did seriously consider that possibility, but then, I heard footsteps! Was I safe? Was I going to get my notebook back? Probably not. When the footsteps came close enough for me to see who it was, I saw that I had nothing to fear, at least I thought I didn’t.
“Hello?” I called into the darkness. Nothing, other than a series of whispers, so there had to be more than one person there. Suddenly, a bright light was shone into my face, and holding the torch was a wrinkly peach face. I rubbed my eyes in confusion, because house elves surely didn’t live down here. Stupidly, I reached out my hand to try and touch the house elfy thing in front of me. It slapped my hand, and I recoiled; this was definitely a bad idea. “Who’re you?” I asked. “Are you gonna kill me?”
“No...,” the creature replied. “Unless it comes to it.” I let out a bloodcurdling scream...
“Shhhhh!” The thing said. “You have nothing to fear, we know who you are.”
“Doesn’t seem fair that I don’t know who you are.”
“She really is as impertinent as she sounds in her column!”
“EXCUSE ME!”
“Look. If you shut up, we’ll tell you who we are.” I was silent. “Great. We’re not here to hurt you, intentionally. We can let you go if you tell no one of this. I think I have something you’ll want.” I looked at them questioningly, not daring to speak just in case they would murder me. The supposed ringleader held up a large black book. I gasped in surprise, as that was my notebook! How did they get it?! I held out my hand, expecting them to place it in my hand, but no! “You promise to not mention a word of this. To anyone?” I nodded furiously. “Alright then. You’ve heard of Dobby, yes? Well, we’re his descendants. Yes, yes, he had children, I saw that you didn’t hesitate in writing down some names for us in your book.” My eyes widened, and I choked.
“You’re! You’re! WINKY!” I spluttered.
“Stop your blabbering, girl.” The Dobby and Winky child ringleader muttered. “Just take your stupid book and go.”
Not taking my chances, I ran off to the trapdoor, and lifted myself back to the stairwell. I sighed in relief as I trudged back to my dorm. When I was almost there, I realised. “SHERLOCK!” I sprinted back to the stairs, and thankfully, the trapdoor was still open. “Hey! House-elves! Do you have my bag?” I yelled, as I leaned in towards the trapdoor. After that, I was hit by a mass of fabric and sugar. Well, sugary wrappers. Grumbling, I went back to my common room, irritated that they ate my food.
When I returned to the common room, I sat down to write my article (again), completely forgetting that I wasn’t to speak a word of this.
