ASK THE
Written by Crystal Melvester
This is the section where your feedback is answered. This includes subscriber questions, article questions, fan feedback appreciation, and also personal questions about the staff, or asking for advice (in anonymity!). We're happy to answer all of your questions!
QUIBBLER
Dear Colleen,
Who is Professor Bryce and why is he a ghost now?
Sincerely,
Clueless Anon.
Dear Clueless Anon,
How do you not know who Professor Bryce is?! Well, if you must know, he's just this dude who hangs around the site and holds a bit of, uh, responsibility around the site. What I really mean to say is he was an admin whose basically been around for yonks! His original username was Grawp and he was sorted into Hufflepuff in Year 20! Professor Bryce taught CoMC and was the head of two houses, Slytherin and Hufflepuff. That, I must say, is some true dedication to mH.
He became a ghost because of all the swamps that were around during Halloween! He attempted to tackle a rougarou (which for those of you who don't know, is something similar to a werewolf, although there are quite a few variations as to what a rougarou really is) and unfortunately, he passed on. Luckily, he's still around but of course in a more spectral ghostly form.
All in all, I didn't really know Professor Bryce too well but all of the students that he has taught should know by now that he was a brilliant kind soul who had an epic love for (no, not Ella ) magical creatures. Now that he's a ghost, I'm sure you'll find that he's still the same old Bryce on the inside, if ghosts have any insides, that is. I'd say don't be afraid to poke a finger in him, if you honestly can't believe that he's a ghost, although do ask him before you do poke him and perhaps you should also ask him why he is a ghost. Perhaps our Headmaster is trying to cover something up... There have been quite a few werewolf related deaths, so who knows?
Sincerely,
Colleen.
Dear Colleen,
Who are the other ghosts other than Professor Bryce and how did they turn into their respective spectral forms?
Sincerely,
Ghost Enthusiast
As we all know, a rougaru was spotted here on the castle grounds the night of Halloween. All who know about these elusive and fascinating creatures know that they are connected to francophone cultures through a common derived belief in the loup-garou (common word: werewolf). However, these creatures are mainly found in French speaking areas of the United States, namely New Orleans. Since that is their primary habitat, this rougaru was a far way from home and spotting it on the grounds was amazing and strange all the same.
Bryce, the Hufflepuff Head of House and primary professor for Care of Magical Creatures, encountered thisviscous creature and though fought bravely, met his demise. And this columnist found it a little, well, odd. Being an extraordinary wizard and was an expert in such creatures, one would think it a little odd that he wouldn’t be able to fight this rougaru off. There have been rumours and whispers that the Head of House position might be cursed so this columnist wanted to look into these claims and see if there were any truth to the stories. Heading to the library and reading the entire history of the castle from year one until this very day noticed a pattern.
After looking at each Hufflepuff Head of House, it seems as though each one met an untimely end in some way or other. For example, James, a successful and fantastic head,thought his leave was normal until a poem was found in Peeves' handwriting suggesting that there was more to his exit and that it was due to foul play. His successor, Jamey (the_belin), was the longest running Hufflepuff Head (from years 12 through 34) was attacked twice by Greyback (and was hunted by the viscous werewolf once), then finally met their demise while fighting the infamous werewolf. Bryce would be the successor of Jamey, while also primary Care of Magical Creatures professor at the school.
Now, with these attacks by creatures and untimely demises, one has to assume that there is something a little strange about it all. The rumours in question state that it is cursed, as the Hufflepuff Heads tend to be the ones that are attacked, meet early ends and are the ones that tragedy happens to. Another peculiar thing this columnist noticed was the creatures that attacked two of the 3 past heads happened to be of the werewolf family. If that's not strange (or coincidence), then I don’t know what is. For all we know, it could just be that each head was unlucky and that was the roll of the die of life. However, based on what this columnist has read in the official mH records, one can come to the conclusion that the position is indeed cursed and that each head will meet an early ghosting. We have a new Hufflepuff head, Kathleen (Theta Holmes) and we wish her all the luck and to sleep with one eye open…for just in case.
Hufflepuff Head of House
Cursed?
Dear Ghost Enthusiast,
There are actually quite a few ghosties around, 13 to be precise. I didn't even know that there were this many! Some of them died quite a while ago and not much is known about them. Something I did notice was that there's quite a few Hufflepuff and Slytherin Ghosts! I don't think there's even a Gryffindor Ghost, from what I've seen! Interesting...
The ghosts are Bryce, the_belin, BlueCougar, Danie, huffle, James, kortnilyn, Lily, Luna, Lunastar, Natters, sazlizard and Storm. Naturally, we don't know many of them, seeing as they are dead and all. However, some of you may recognise kortnilyn or the_belin aka Jamie! The old Hufflepuff Head who died in a fight against the infamous werewolf, Fenrir Greyback. Sazlizard died when she was blown up and honestly, for the rest of the ghosts, I can't seem to find much evidence as to how they became ghosts. Again, is someone trying to hide something here? Why is it that I can't seem to find any information about the deaths of all these people?
Anyways, for now we'll just have to assume that they all became ghosts due to being sat on by hundreds of fluffy pygmy puffs, so I hope that this answered your question!
Sincerely,
Colleen.
The Rougarou is the creature that strolled into the grounds of Hogwarts and took the life of Bryce, our beloved former Hufflepuff House Head. Now, I believe that many of you are curious about this mysterious, but extremely ugly, creature. Common questions that I expertly know is on your minds are: What is this dreadful creature? How ugly is it? Where is it from? How did come here? And most importantly, why in the world did it come? Now, children, come here, for I, Reem of Ravenclaw, shall answer all your questions!
Once upon a time (or five minutes ago), I was sitting in the library (aka Google), researching all about this….. absurd thing that society calls the Rougarou, when I came upon its looks!! That creature has a body of a rather large human male, in terms of muscularity, and a head of a dog or wolf. If it had the head of a Yorkshire Terrier, I would completely ignore its frightening physique and just cuddle its face….. #dogloverandproudsodontjudgemoi!!
Now, my children, let us move on to this creature’s home turf, Louisiana!! This creature is mostly found in New Orleans, or if you prefer a bit more detailed, in the French Quarter of that city. It likes to roam and stalk areas with a lot of swamps, like Acadiana and Greater New Orleans, as well as areas with lots of greenery and forests.
It is also known to do some rather outlandish things that I’d prefer not to mention, due to its goriness. What I will say is that it can only be created by witches (oi, don’t point fingers at us ladies!!) either by turning herself or others into wolfs by lycanthropy, which is basically becoming a werewolf. Another exciting fact is that this creature can also suck blood! Yaaaaay! Is this creature a combined version of werewolf and vampire? Do make my life easier and stick to one thing, or else you’ll just come out as a copy-cat. Anywaaaaaays, after 101 Dalmations days, the creature turns back into what we are, humans, and will forever live in fear of all the crimes it committed during its “phase”. This creature can transfer its power curse Rougarou thingie from itself to a human! Why? Beats me! Serves you right!! Stupid blood-sucking ugly thing!
The reason it decided to grace the halls of Hogwarts with its deformed man-dog look is because it just can! It appears that this creature can literally smell over 1,000 miles away!! It must have a rather strong nasal structure….. Alas, because it smelled the many swamps we conjured in Halloween, it decided to hop on a plane and come!
Fun Fact: I hate Rougaours!!! Wooooooooow!
Away from my sarcasm, let us all remember Bryce, and all he did for this site, and not let the crime that the Rougarou committed take that away!
The Rougarou
Reem's Research:
The Adventures of
Inspector Gemma Gatley
A Family Holiday
by Theta Holmes
It was that time of year. The very time of year that Gatley could never quite look forward to, when her family went on a trip. Some years, the trip would be to cities all across the globe, but this year, it was to a remote camping site. The entire extended Gatley family was present, most of them magical, with Gemma sticking out like a sore thumb.
"So, Gemma, what's this I've been hearing about?" her cousin, as snotty as they come, asked. "Something wrong with your sky?"
​
Gatley had to bite her tongue. She knew that as pretentious as some of her family members could be, they didn't intend any harm by it. They attempted to take a genuine interest in the muggle world, but that usually ended in a debate over terms. The British Gatleys preferred muggle, while the American Gatleys clung to no-maj furiously. "There's nothing wrong with the sky, it's just a--"
But he cut her off, exclaiming as he saw her compass. The needle was spinning about wildly, while all of the wands, using the compass spell, still aimed north. His eyes widened, and he frowned, immediately turning to look at his younger sister, a bonafide prankster. "Stop messing with Gemma! It's rude, Mary!"
"It's fine, she isn't doing anything," Gatley replied, going to the young witch's defence. "I'd be much more concerned if my compass wasn't acting like this." The answer, of course, only appeared to confuse her cousin even more. She sighed slightly, wishing that she wouldn't have to attempt to explain it to them, as they'd never understand. They had just finally mastered the function of a rubber duck, after all.
Why was Gatley's compass acting up? The solution and a new case shall be featured in the next issue of the Quibbler.
Solution to "The Curse of the Badgers' Burrow": Gatley decided to investigate Nicole. Since the rougarou are mostly found in Louisiana, she noticed that Nicole was the closest professor geographically, as the Charms professor is from Texas.
Bryce, the ever-so-magnificent Hufflepuff (and formerly Slytherin) Head of House. He was well known around the site by many, and some even knew him as Grawp. I decided to interview some of the members of the admin team about Bryce, and how they knew him.
Elise (Interviewer): What do you love about Bryce?
Kathleen (Theta Holmes): I loved his dedication and compassion. As cliche as it may sound, he really was a true Hufflepuff, never afraid of any challenges, and always supportive of his friends.
Ella Granger: I love Bryce's companionship most of all, I think. I love his care for everyone and everything, his students, magical creatures, fellow mHers. I love how fun and snarky he can be and how he can unpredictably, but unfailingly, make me smile at any moment. I love that I can share anything and everything with him because he is absolutely non-judgmental and a true friend.
Liam (Tom Riddle): That he knew how to have a good time but he took his job seriously, with real energy, high standards and a strong sense of duty. He wasn't easy to earn the respect of but that just encouraged you to be as responsible as he was . He was also never shy of admitting his own mistakes or how he'd changed - and he really did come a long way on the site.
Lara (meowingmormon): EVERYTHING!!! Bryce is fantastic. I've always loved how much he makes everyone laughs - he always was the jokester of the admin team, alongside with Nicole.
Elise: What is your favourite memory of Bryce?
Kathleen My favourite memory of Bryce would be when he gave Kevin (K-Fish) a detention. And because of that detention, Kevin ended up being attacked by Greyback and turned into a werewolf. His reaction to the entire ordeal was absolutely priceless!
Ella: I don't think I can pick just one memory, but some recurring themes do include my staying up all night while we PMd about life in general, while he was going along with his day on the other end of the world. Just talking with him and having long meaningful conversations was and is awesome. Then the one time he got me a Valentine's Day gift on the site... he was the very first boy to do that and that same year, he asked me on the cbox if I wanted to go to the Yule Ball with him, very courageous of him I must say! That must be quoted in the Quote Wall sill because he was adorable and we had a great time I also have some very fond memories of Prefecting together, having fun doing that, and the odd prank that he pulled on me, that he only got away with because he's Bryce and I can't stay mad at him
Liam: I'm not sure there's one specific incident but I was reading over some of our old PMs lately and I forgot how much we teased each other back when he was a humble goblin and upstart Head Boy . Oh wait, I know. When he flippin' blocked me on Google Hangout! We were trying to have a group chat and the chaos he caused was hysterical as he couldn't get back in the chat (serves him right) and neither could Lara as she tried (and failed) to prove he was simply inept. It resulted in the Ministry declaring him Undesirable Number 1
Lara: Ohmygosh....definitely the time he pulled the most epic April Fools prank in the world by posing as Justin Beiber and taking over my office on an impromptu concert. I still haven't quite forgiven him for that...but it took a lot of planning on his end and it was hilarious!!! Or, to be honest, Bryce's attempts at various accents when chatting over Skype were particularly funny. Also, another memory - Bryce was my CA after Nicole started teaching, and they would have the funniest arguments and wars to prove who my favorite CA really was. It was hilarious!!
The members of the admin team were very fond of Bryce and were immensely sad to see him ghosted. But, his memory will live on in everyone's hearts.