Aries - Drawn towards competitive sports, your body feels good in action, and a cheering crowd is great for your ego. Be sure to pat your opponent's back after you've kicked them off their brooms and they're lying facedown in the mud.

Taurus - Let the flashy and aggressive push their way past you. They look as if they're having all the fun, but you know something better, which you can use later. A good heart and a sense of integrity will always win in the end.

Gemini - Live your ideals. Partners hungry for change should scan the menu together. Sharing an experience with the right person can only enhance it. Capitalize on this positive mood before it goes away. Don’t let your curiosity get the better of you.

Cancer - You're grateful for the limits and barriers that shield you. A difficult situation is best considered while you're hiding from it. You'll be a lot stronger after certain events come to pass and you’ll feel much better from it.

Leo - A simple party becomes a major event. Switch on the lights. Start the music. Let the dancing begin. Anything that needs to be discussed can wait for the quiet, intimate moments that will inevitably follow this one. Remember; appearance is everything for this party.

Virgo - Anything truly worth having will still be there when you're ready for it. Family matters dominate your days, reminding you of older, more basic values. Relax into your rhythm and try to enjoy it. Be aware of rogue dealers with sweet smiles.

crazy with guilt’ and drowned herself. It’s been said that the gloves have been passed down through generations of dark wizards and used on numerous victims, where adultery has occurred. It seems that the gloves now will be used on anyone who becomes a target, whether the murderer knows them or not.

The last time the items were used was in 1938 when a woman suspected that her husband had been allegedly sleeping with her sister. It turned out he had been planning a surprise party for her and meeting with her sister for help. She only found this out after she had him wear the gloves, which caused him to throw himself out of a 4th floor window where he worked; this tragic chain of events eventually drove his wife crazy. That was the last time the ‘Charr Gloves’ had been nationally mentioned.

Currently there are no leads on who stole the artefacts, which were to be used as evidence, but the Ministry are gearing up their search of the local area. All officials in the neighbouring towns have also been alerted.

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Libra - Personal differences are what make people interesting. Respond with interest and kindness. Love is too big for selfish handling. Your community grows when you leave the door open.

Scorpio - Good intentions are more than just enthusiastic promises. Although everyone is talking, someone might actually be listening to you. Your plans turn into action.

Sagittarius - Sagittarius is the ideal host. The Stars are on your side, and good companions are welcome in your home. Now that you've invited only the best, your expectations will be met without disappointment. Be blunt with your friend; they’ll thank you in the long run.

Capricorn - Your simplest gesture resonates with a deep, pleasing logic. Your possibilities are still lined up, waiting for you to achieve them one by one. Your friends sense the presence of greatness; your enemies sense the presence of snootiness.

Aquarius - Growth is a beautiful thing. Your expansion is organic and not always predictable. Join a group that seems to need you. Those who share your values deserve the benefits of your insight. A good mystery keeps your mind ticking.

Piscies - Beware -- don't speak out of turn or act without authority. Beginner's luck saves you, but you'd be foolish to ignore the lesson that comes with it. Fire up your psychic powers and see if they'll give you an accurate reading. Don’t get trapped in a world of illusions.

The Art of Doing Homework

This is being written with the intention of inspiring people to do their homework. Lack of attendance in classes is common to all Houses and the bane of the Professors’ lives. The results of truancy costs every House valuable points and at times, it seems like we are all scrambling to regain the points that we have lost. No one likes to see their House lose points!

In recent weeks, Gryffindor managed to get an unprecedented amount of points for the First Year Care of Magical Creatures class, putting us in first place for the House Cup. This probably astounded everyone who isn’t in Gryffindor and left them wondering how it was achieved.

It may seem like the First Years, and at least one Second Year, are more conscientious than other people. This isn’t true. We have a mix of people who like doing their homework, those who don’t, and those who are ill or just busy – the same as the other three Houses do.

Hagrid, the class teacher, claimed that Gryffindor doesn’t have more people enrolled in First Year CoMC than any other house. This is true. So what happened? What is Gryffindors’ secret? Well, I am going to enlighten you – I won’t give all our secrets away though.

So how did we manage it?

Organization! That’s the key.

Of course it takes effort to manage a group of people and get them organised, especially with all the time zones that are represented. At the beginning of the year, Jinx and I realised that dropping attendance in classes was one of the ways we were holding ourselves back, so we decided to do something about it.

We set up a Mentoring system, originally for just the First Year classes, but it has since spread to the Second Year ones too. There is a dedicated core of people involved, both First and Second Year students: Jinx, Jodie, Diannika, Tia, Allison, Tanya, Lydia, Chris, Lockore, and myself. A few people have had to resign their position and my apologies if I have left anyone out.

I take the First Year CoMC class and Lockore has recently started to help me. As Mentors, our job is to help anyone who needs it and inform people when the next class is up. I also expect people to inform their class Professor if they are going to be absent for any reason and I like them to let me know too – it saves time.

Before this system can be put into place, each Mentor must be organised and, speaking for myself, it has taken me a month to finally get a working system together. The results of this system speak for themselves and it is well worth undertaking the task.

Just before you think let’s get a Mentoring system for ourselves: it does take time. I know that I spend a fair chunk of time going through the class and reminding people and I’m only taking the one class! Some of our Mentors are taking two or more! You need to be dedicated!

I can’t say much more about the mechanics of this system or else I’ll give the whole thing away and there might be some disgruntled Gryffindors running around in the common room. From this, each House should be able to get a similar system up and running within a week or so.

Hopefully this will redress the attendance issue and no House will lose further points due to truancy.