HogwartsExpress

8 Sickles and 2 Knuts

Restoration Continues at Hogwarts

Hogwarts (WP) -

Hogwarts Castle, destroyed during the Great War, has been rebuilt; but the former destruction was still obvious, as, for a very long time, many wings and areas were out of bounds for students and professors alike.

To make attendance possible at all, previously only the absolutely necessary parts of the main building were quickly secured and re-erected. Those were mainly the Great Hall and the classrooms, but also the four Houses’ Common Rooms and dormitories.

Recently, the rebuilding process has sped up, however, making more of Hogwarts accessible. Various ‘No Trespassing’ signs have miraculously disappeared from one second to the next.

Among others, “we just finished rebuilding the dungeons, the North Tower, the Kitchens and Filch’s office,” explained Hagrid, Keeper of the Keys and CoMC professor.

Moaning Myrtle has moved back into her bathroom. So any students in need of a bathroom had better watch out. The visit to the second floor bathroom in which Myrtle resides might be more than they'd bargained for.

Also, the Whomping Willow has been fixed up and will now once more proudly lift its branches. However, it is a violent tree, but “only if it’s provoked.” Therefore students should be careful or else the Hospital Wing will be very crowded.

The Owlery, situated in the West Tower, will be home to owl and hawk alike. “Our feathered friends will be happy to find that they have received a place to roost after flying the world over,” Hagrid said. School owls are being provided so that even the less well-heeled students will be able to send letters to absent friends and family.

The Kitchens are situated right behind the painting with the fruit bowl (the huge green pear!), just like it used to be during the times of Harry Potter. Sneaking into them isn’t encouraged, but unless Peeves tattles, a hungry student most likely won’t be punished. So everybody had better watch out for the poltergeist.

Very soon, the Trophy Room will be opened too, so that Awards for Special Services to the School, Quidditch Cups and such may be put on display, in order that great achievements may receive the spotlight they deserve.

While the general reaction to those changes has been nothing but positive so far, the downside of all of this hasn’t been taken into account by most of the students yet.

Firstly, the Third Floor Corridor will be closed off again, as it was during the famous events involving the Philosopher’s Stone. Furthermore, any rule-breaking might result in detentions from now on. After all, more room means more room to pull pranks on more people (but not always unnoticed by a professor…)

But this will hopefully prevent the students from stepping too badly out of line. After all, who wants to be in detention or be dragged into Filch’s office? Especially when one considers Hagrid’s words: “There hasn't been much chance to redecorate yet, but the first thing Filch moved in was his whips and chains.”

Hogwarts isn’t completely restored yet, but there has been made huge progress recently. And it will continue to be rebuilt to its former glory.

As Hagrid summed it up, “This doesn't spell the end of the upgrades... we'll always be working to make this place better.”

The Antipodean Cup: Chudley Cannons Vs The Outback Warriors

Upon hearing that the Outback Warriors were coming to town as part of the renowned Antipodean Cup, I managed to nab one of the last remaining tickets to the game between them and the Chudley Cannons. I really only wanted to see my favourite team play. I’m mad about the Outbacks.

Even though most of the fans attending the game had barely heard of the Outbacks, everyone considered them the favourites to win – no surprise there. The Cannons are notorious for losing every match. They have certainly lived up to their motto: “Let’s All Keep Our Finger’s Crossed And Hope For The Best.”

Being the home team, the Cannons came out first. The majority of the spectators were visibly supporting them, even if they weren’t at the betting table; they were decked out with Cannon flags, banners and badges, so the Cannons entered the Pitch amid a tumultuous applause.

They flew around the Pitch to the delight of everyone present. Bennett, their Keeper and Captain came first, the only woman on their team. She was followed by the three Chasers: Rothwell, Helsby and Hatton. Senior and Phillips, the Beaters, came next and the Cannons’ Seeker with the unfortunate name of Buckley closely followed them. His name summed up the Cannons chances of winning quite nicely – they had Buckley’s chance of winning. Still, they looked impressive in their bright orange robes.

The crowd became quiet and waited for the Outbacks to come out onto the Pitch. Most of them haven’t seen this Aussie team play and they were going to be in for a surprise! The Outbacks robes are a dusty, ochre red, the initials OW emblazoned in black on the back and topped with the players name. A snarling Tasmanian Devil holds a Snitch between its jaws on the front. This team plays hard and, often, ruthlessly. They also live up to their motto: “Play Us and You’ll Hurt”.

Continued on: PAGE 2

Battle of the Bands a Success

One of the most anticipated events of the year, the Battle of Bands, finally closed its curtain on Friday. Formed after fierce recruiting, five bands went head to head for the very first band contest at Hogwarts. Those who were responsible for filling the lawn with music were: Babes on Broomsticks, Hex, Howling Starfire, Dragonwing, and the Melting Pot.

The bands had been seen spending much time to set up the stage and instruments from the opening day, and Hogwarts Express even witnessed a band member running late to her stage after oversleeping. The rest of the castle was constantly reminded of the ongoing battle with the banners, flyers, band T-shirts and posters everywhere once it started. The passionately performed songs by the bands could only be matched by the roaring crowd.

The honor of the first place went to Howling Starfire, with the combination of the best presentation with an excellent song ‘Amor, Di Meliora’ (Love, Heaven Forbid) by Morgana Soulfire. Second place was graciously received by the Melting Pot whose song ‘Miracle at Hogwarts’ by Rysa Evans succeeded in impressing the crowd along with the very solid performance. Babes on Broomsticks received the third place for their intense play and a remarkable song ‘Jamie’ by Rosa Type.

Headmaster Dumbledore, Professor Flitwick, Professor Black and Hagrid eagerly accepted the position as the competition judges, but expressed their difficulties in selecting the winners. “We were not expecting to see these many exceptional talents. All were enthusiastic and the entire school cooperated extremely well to make this happen,” they said. The decision over the winners was reached after thorough scrutiny and observation in every aspect of the competition, and is generally agreed. An anonymous band member voiced her opinion, “I might have been mad if someone else got the prizes. But I can’t help myself but to admit that they were really good! We’ll just do better next time.”

In addition to the prize money, it is rumored that the winners will be given a chance to perform at the upcoming Summer Ball. The students will certainly welcome the summer breeze carrying the sweet tunes on the night of the celebration.

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Sunday, June 15, 2003		8 Sickles and 2 Knuts
Restoration Continues at Hogwarts
Hogwarts (WP) - Hogwarts Castle, destroyed during the Great War, has been rebuilt; but the former destruction was still obvious, as, for a very long time, many wings and areas were out of bounds for students and professors alike. To make attendance possible at all, previously only the absolutely necessary parts of the main building were quickly secured and re-erected. Those were mainly the Great Hall and the classrooms, but also the four Houses’ Common Rooms and dormitories. Recently, the rebuilding process has sped up, however, making more of Hogwarts accessible. Various ‘No Trespassing’ signs have miraculously disappeared from one second to the next. Among others, “we just finished rebuilding the dungeons, the North Tower, the Kitchens and Filch’s office,” explained Hagrid, Keeper of the Keys and CoMC professor. Moaning Myrtle has moved back into her bathroom. So any students in need of a bathroom had better watch out. The visit to the second floor bathroom in which Myrtle resides might be more than they'd bargained for.	Also, the Whomping Willow has been fixed up and will now once more proudly lift its branches. However, it is a violent tree, but “only if it’s provoked.” Therefore students should be careful or else the Hospital Wing will be very crowded. The Owlery, situated in the West Tower, will be home to owl and hawk alike. “Our feathered friends will be happy to find that they have received a place to roost after flying the world over,” Hagrid said. School owls are being provided so that even the less well-heeled students will be able to send letters to absent friends and family. The Kitchens are situated right behind the painting with the fruit bowl (the huge green pear!), just like it used to be during the times of Harry Potter. Sneaking into them isn’t encouraged, but unless Peeves tattles, a hungry student most likely won’t be punished. So everybody had better watch out for the poltergeist. Very soon, the Trophy Room will be opened too, so that Awards for Special Services to the School, Quidditch Cups and such may be put on display, in order that great achievements may receive the spotlight they deserve.	While the general reaction to those changes has been nothing but positive so far, the downside of all of this hasn’t been taken into account by most of the students yet. Firstly, the Third Floor Corridor will be closed off again, as it was during the famous events involving the Philosopher’s Stone. Furthermore, any rule-breaking might result in detentions from now on. After all, more room means more room to pull pranks on more people (but not always unnoticed by a professor…) But this will hopefully prevent the students from stepping too badly out of line. After all, who wants to be in detention or be dragged into Filch’s office? Especially when one considers Hagrid’s words: “There hasn't been much chance to redecorate yet, but the first thing Filch moved in was his whips and chains.” Hogwarts isn’t completely restored yet, but there has been made huge progress recently. And it will continue to be rebuilt to its former glory. As Hagrid summed it up, “This doesn't spell the end of the upgrades... we'll always be working to make this place better.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Antipodean Cup: Chudley Cannons Vs The Outback Warriors Upon hearing that the Outback Warriors were coming to town as part of the renowned Antipodean Cup, I managed to nab one of the last remaining tickets to the game between them and the Chudley Cannons. I really only wanted to see my favourite team play. I’m mad about the Outbacks. Even though most of the fans attending the game had barely heard of the Outbacks, everyone considered them the favourites to win – no surprise there. The Cannons are notorious for losing every match. They have certainly lived up to their motto: “Let’s All Keep Our Finger’s Crossed And Hope For The Best.” Being the home team, the Cannons came out first. The majority of the spectators were visibly supporting them, even if they weren’t at the betting table; they were decked out with Cannon flags, banners and badges, so the Cannons entered the Pitch amid a tumultuous applause. They flew around the Pitch to the delight of everyone present. Bennett, their Keeper and Captain came first, the only woman on their team. She was followed by the three Chasers: Rothwell, Helsby and Hatton. Senior and Phillips, the Beaters, came next and the Cannons’ Seeker with the unfortunate name of Buckley closely followed them. His name summed up the Cannons chances of winning quite nicely – they had Buckley’s chance of winning. Still, they looked impressive in their bright orange robes. The crowd became quiet and waited for the Outbacks to come out onto the Pitch. Most of them haven’t seen this Aussie team play and they were going to be in for a surprise! The Outbacks robes are a dusty, ochre red, the initials OW emblazoned in black on the back and topped with the players name. A snarling Tasmanian Devil holds a Snitch between its jaws on the front. This team plays hard and, often, ruthlessly. They also live up to their motto: “Play Us and You’ll Hurt”. Continued on: PAGE 2				Battle of the Bands a Success One of the most anticipated events of the year, the Battle of Bands, finally closed its curtain on Friday. Formed after fierce recruiting, five bands went head to head for the very first band contest at Hogwarts. Those who were responsible for filling the lawn with music were: Babes on Broomsticks, Hex, Howling Starfire, Dragonwing, and the Melting Pot. The bands had been seen spending much time to set up the stage and instruments from the opening day, and Hogwarts Express even witnessed a band member running late to her stage after oversleeping. The rest of the castle was constantly reminded of the ongoing battle with the banners, flyers, band T-shirts and posters everywhere once it started. The passionately performed songs by the bands could only be matched by the roaring crowd. The honor of the first place went to Howling Starfire, with the combination of the best presentation with an excellent song ‘Amor, Di Meliora’ (Love, Heaven Forbid) by Morgana Soulfire. Second place was graciously received by the Melting Pot whose song ‘Miracle at Hogwarts’ by Rysa Evans succeeded in impressing the crowd along with the very solid performance. Babes on Broomsticks received the third place for their intense play and a remarkable song ‘Jamie’ by Rosa Type. Headmaster Dumbledore, Professor Flitwick, Professor Black and Hagrid eagerly accepted the position as the competition judges, but expressed their difficulties in selecting the winners. “We were not expecting to see these many exceptional talents. All were enthusiastic and the entire school cooperated extremely well to make this happen,” they said. The decision over the winners was reached after thorough scrutiny and observation in every aspect of the competition, and is generally agreed. An anonymous band member voiced her opinion, “I might have been mad if someone else got the prizes. But I can’t help myself but to admit that they were really good! We’ll just do better next time.” In addition to the prize money, it is rumored that the winners will be given a chance to perform at the upcoming Summer Ball. The students will certainly welcome the summer breeze carrying the sweet tunes on the night of the celebration.
Pages - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4