Hogwarts Inter-House Tournament, Past and Present

Term 6, the year 2052: the first Inter-House Tournament at Hogwarts. Now, it's 2060, eight years later, and another tournament is taking place. Like last time, four champions from each house are participating. Any student from each of the four houses is encouraged to sign up, and four able-bodied competitors will be chosen. Then, the students must take part in a series of tasks designed by the teachers. Some require in-depth thinking to solve riddles, some are based on scavenger hunting and pure luck. Each competitor will earn points for how well they do with their tasks, and at the tourney's end, the house with the most points is declared the champion.

In the Inter-House Tournament years ago, Ravenclaw came out on top by being awarded the most points. The competitors - Sarah, Anthony, Lotus, and Ron - all had to work hard, but it seems like more than anything, they had fun.

I had the chance to meet with Sarah Ailui, one of the ex-pupils who helped lead Ravenclaw to victory in 2052, her fourth year. She was an excellent student and Quidditch player, not to mention a very loyal and hardworking person. She admits that those traits were definately key to her success in the tournament. There were also a few things that she wishes she would've improved before taking part: her lack of bravery, her quickness to avoid potentially difficult situations, and the slowness she'd developed when using her wand. Also, Sarah was a muggleborn, so she had a harder time understanding the tournament and the wizarding world itself, which was a slight problem throughout the entire competition.

If there's still time, and you think you'd be an excellent competitor for the Hogwarts Inter-House Tournament, be sure to sign up! And if you don't want to take such a direct, intense role, cheer on your housemates; don't let them battle their way through the journey alone! The Inter-House Tournament will most definately provide for an exciting term, so be sure to get involved in any way you can.

Alright kiddos, I'm here with History of Magic professor, Anjelica Lainey, who is here to talk about the first Inter-House Tournament held at Hogwarts a few years ago.

Tell me Professor, what was your role in the last Inter-House Tournament?
Oh my. Well, it was either my first year at Hogwarts or my second. I really didn't have much of a role at all to start. But, in a strange turn of events and some mishaps with some other professors, Rae asked me to fill in and do the second event!

Well that must have been an interesting responsibility to have so unexpectedly. What did you do?
It was interesting alright. But, thinking quick on my feet is something that the Auror training has helped out tremendously with. In short, I talked the Squid in the Lake into swallowing a stone. He was willing enough to help me out. The students task was to retrieve the stone, without harming the Squid.

Oh wow. Thats sounds dangerous! Were there any mishaps?
There were a few close calls, I'll say. But the students really, really pulled it off nicely. Every student completed the task and the Squid, though tired of swallowing a stone, was never harmed.

Do you remember who some of the champions were?
The two that stick out in my mind the most were Nick and Nadia, two very bright Slytherin students that really sailed through my obstacle.

Ah my old house, of course they sailed right through. *grin*
Those Slytherins are a quick witted group, I have to admit.

Of course they are. They have me dont they? *cheeky grin* Alright, one more question before I let you get back to your work. What do you and the staff look for in a champion?
Oh that's an easy one. The champions are usually, and should be, the leaders of the school. They should be the ones that are great role-models for our younger students; the students that aren't caught in detention every other week. We look for students that are bold and courageous, yet humble and kind too. It seems like a lot, but there are so many students right here at Hogwarts that already fill those shoes.

Thank you very much Professor Lainey. I'll just hop on back to my office now. See you in the staff room!
Anytime, Professor.



Well now that we've heard from our dear Professor Lainey, lets look at this from a different point of view, the champion's. I searched far and wide for many weeks... ok really I just sent her an owl, but at long last I located Miss Nabiya MacPherson, one of the Hufflepuff champions of the first Inter-House Tournament.


What did you do after graduating Hogwarts? (Job etc.)
I joined the French Ministry of Magic, and now and Junior Minster of the Department of Magical International Co-operation *politicians smile*

Well, that must be quite... fun? *cough* What was your reaction when you were made a champion?
Quite shocked, actually. That was the first of my many activities during my days at Hogwarts, and considering I was only thirteen, it was a huge shocker!

Thirteen! Wow, well I guess that give the younger students some hope then. What was your favorite task in the tournament?
Oh, definitely the second...or was it the third? Well, it had a troll and a boggart and we were stuck in this tiny room. But...yeah, I don't really know how I found that enjoyable, it was smelly.

Did the Inter-house Tournament teach you anything?
Sure..it taught me the importance of unity not only between house mates, but also between the entire student body. I would never have been able to do some of those things if I hadn't watched the seniors closely.

House unity, a few of our students could do with that point of view. Did you get along with the other champions in the school, or did you not know them well?
I knew one, she was a Hufflepuff with me...but later she kind of...just dissapeared. Although now that I think of it, she must have transferred (ooc: Amberlina!).

And last but not least, how did you do in the last tournament?
Quite horridly, truth be told. Those tourneys are difficult, and the professors just spring things at you! Quoting a wise, wise man...CONSTANT VIGILANCE!


Constant vigilance, a good piece of advice. So now you know of the Inter-House Tournament, will it be the same as before? Will it be completly different? I cant say, well actually I could, but I dont want to, the suspense will do you good. Until next time, this is Transfiguration Professor Danni S. Pride saying goodbye and pleasent sailing!

Caitlin’s Concoction Column

Hello everyone, and welcome to the first ever column based solely around my favorite potions! This week, I’ve pulled out one of my favorites: the Love Potion. As you may or may not know, you can’t actually imitate love, but this potion makes a strong infatuation possible. Unlike the Hate Potion, (which is most commonly used for aiding wizards/witches to get over emotional attachments to people who don‘t love them), the Love Potion is harder to get rid of, and causes slight giddiness in the drinker. While it may seem all fun and games, though, be careful: if you want someone to fall in love with you, they may go overboard and turn from lover to stalker. Take a few sips, however, and you’re definitely going to be flirty. All I can really say is - with a Love Potion, excitement is bound to happen, so drink up and let the fun begin!

Loving life and the potions in it,
-- Caitlin

Hey! My name is Pauline, but you probably already knew that. For this lovely issue, my advice column is going to be on the first years coming into Hogwarts. Most first years have some clue what is going on, but some have those little questions that they need answers for. I’ve recieved a couple of letters from first years and I also asked a third year what her fears were when she first came to Hogwarts.

My first letter came from Adelle (Weasley is my King), a first year at Hogwarts this term.

Well I must admit even I was a little intimidated by the people at Hogwarts, because I had no clue what they would be like. I assure you they aren’t as crazy or mean or stuck up as you may think. Yes, there are some exceptions, but that is in very few cases. I believe if you take your time and let things take its course, you’ll be ok.

My next letter came from Chaunte (ginny_first_year_pureblood), a third year at Hogwarts this term. These were some of the questions and fears she had when she was a first year.

Well Chaunte, and for any first year who has these same questions and fears, I must say that the moving staircases were a bit weary at first, but once you been around them a lot, you know when the move. It actually saves you from getting lost. I advise you to remember which stairs you can fall through and to remember which staircases move, so you don’t fall. If you get lost, or are worried, I’d advise you to take some bread crumbs or popcorn and leave them, creating a bit of a trail. You can do the buddy system or travel in pairs until your comfortable going into the halls alone. This brings me on to answering the next question and fear. Usually the students are civil enough to not hex you, but there are a few students who like to throw stones or play nasty tricks. These people are usually handled by the staff and will be reprimanded so no worries there. Just have your wand at the ready incase something like that does happen so you can defend yourself. With the creatures, the only scary ones you’ll meet are in the Forbidden Forest, and that is off limits to students.

My last letter came to me by Skylar (good omens), a first year Slytherin this term.

Well Hogwarts has always carried the basic classes, DADA, Charms, Herbology, so you don’t need to worry about special classes. What comes along with the classes depends on the teacher, what they like to do, and the work they give out. Mostly, the teachers give homework and an end of term exam. Also, points are usually given out for answering questions in class. Quidditch is really nothing if you know what you’re doing. If you’re worried about missing tryouts, your Common Room should have a notice, or a sign up sheet will be in your House Locker Room. If you don’t like Quidditch then don’t worry - it’s not mandatory to sign up. And about the older students bothering you, the age difference has never been a problem at Hogwarts. Most of the older students interact with the younger ones, as long as they’re not a pain, which most of them aren’t. The older students actually try to make it easier for the first years to get through their first year and the years to come.

Those were some general fears and questions that the first years had when they originally came to Hogwarts. Well, that is my advice for this issue. It feels so good to be back in the position I was in when I first joined the staff. Anyway, I have to get away from memory lane. Thanks for reading and I really hope you get some good advice from this.

Pauline
Advice and Out.