Platform Nine and Three Quarters. Max Paige couldn’t believe he was finally here. He had grown up in Hogsmeade Village, admiring Hogwarts and the future before him from a distance. His father, Richard, was an Auror, like the wizarding police, who worked with the Ministry of Magic. His mother was a Healer at St. Mungo’s, the hospital for the wizarding world. His sister, Brianne, was a year older than him. She already was enrolled at Hogwarts in the Gryffindor and she was starting to be more and more interested in the darker magic. It wasn’t surprising really… their uncle, after all, was currently serving time in Azkaban and they really didn’t know why… Their parents had never explained it to them in detail. Since he had been taken away, the wizarding community had lost faith in anything to do with the Paige family. It was forever scarred by Josiah Paige’s crimes, and now that Max was coming to Hogwarts… The question people were asking was which path would Max follow? His father’s, or his uncle’s? 

“Listen son,” Richard said as they waited for the Hogwarts Express to arrive. “I want you to know that I’m very proud of you. Whatever house you get sorted into… we love you and will be there with you every step of the way. All you need to do is send an owl, and we will be there to help if needed.” 

“I’ll be fine, dad,” Max promised, looking over at his sister who was already off talking with some of her friends. “Brianne will be there, and you’ve prepared me for the work ahead. I’ve already read as much as I could to be ready for my classes… Don’t worry so much.” 

“It’s just that there are going to be people looking, rumours, whispers,” Mom warned. “Your uncle wasn’t a very nice person, and he has, well… he’s made people flinch when they hear our last name now. You know that he was taken to Azkaban last year… your father arrested him,” she said, as if Max didn’t already know. 

“Yes mom, I get it. I’m not him though, am I? I’m me. Let them talk. I just won’t listen,” he smirked proudly. “And I won’t be in Slytherin. I’ll be in Gryffindor, like Brianne.” 

“Regardless of what the hat says, son,” Dad put his hand on Max’s shoulder. “You write your own story, okay? This is your time. Make the most of it.” 

“Yes sir,” Max nodded and hugged his father, then turned to hug his mother. “I love you,” he whispered to her.

“We will see you at the first Hogsmeade weekend. Be good,” she ruffled his curly brown hair and then let him go off to meet his sister. 

He and Brianne could have easily taken the path around the Forbidden Forest, from Hogsmeade to Hogwarts Castle, but their parents had wanted to give them the full experience. From the second that they got onto the majestic steam engine, the looks and whispering began. Max decided right then and there that he was going to stand tall and be proud of who he was. He could write a new legacy. One that would replace the one that Josiah Paige had left behind. 

2: 2 - Hogwarts Express

Max followed his sister onto the Hogwarts Express and looked for somewhere to sit. Brianne had already encouraged him to find some people his age to talk to, and she had wandered off down the narrow aisle between compartments with her friends, leaving him to fend for himself. He really wasn’t surprised by this, she had always let him stand on his own two feet. 

He hesitated, looking around for somewhere to sit. There were many older students sitting in compartments, staring up at him with mixed expressions. In one compartment sat two boys and a boy that looked to be his age. They barely looked up, which meant that either they didn’t know who he was, or they didn’t care. Max hoped it was the latter option. 

“Hey, can I sit with you guys?” Max asked, already putting his luggage in the storage bin. 

“Sure!” The boy with black hair grinned up at him, and scooted over to make room on the bench. “We’re playing wizard chess. Ever played?” 

Max looked around the group of three, then at the game board. The pieces swayed back and forth, as if waiting for the next move to be played. “Yeah! I play it all the time with my father. I’ll challenge the winner of this round,” he grinned, looking between the two playing. “I’m Max.” 

“‘Course you are,” the blonde girl with pigtails beamed at him. “The whole train’s been talking about you!” 

“Figures,” Max leaned back with a sigh. “I’m not like him, you know. And I’m gonna be Gryffindor like my father, not Slytherin like him.” 

“Even if you are,” the redhead beside him put in. “You’ve got your own story to tell, right? It’s not logical!” 

Max sighed with relief, hoping he had found some friends. “Thanks guys. So what are your names?” 

“I’m Tessa,” the blonde smiled, holding out her hand to shake his, and Max took it, shaking it firmly. 

“Dan,” the redhead said with a nod. 

“Logan,” the other boy said and shook his hand as well. 

The four of them spent the rest of the train ride taking turns playing chess against each other. At some point in the trip they put on their unsorted robes. When they arrived in Hogsmeade, the Groundskeeper directed them down the path around the Forbidden Forest, and then to the docks of the Black Lake where small boats waited for the first years. The boat ride to the castle island was as amazing as Max had expected. He couldn’t help but hold Tessa’s hand in the boat they were sharing. 

After entering the castle, they lined up behind the Headmaster and then walked into the Great Hall. It was just as he’d pictured it. What he hadn’t expected came when he sat down under the famous sorting hat. After two or three seconds of thinking the hat called out, “SLYTHERIN!” 

Things only got worse from there. Tessa had been sorted into Ravenclaw, and Dan into Hufflepuff. At least Dan had been sorted into Slytherin with Max. The thing was… so had Tessa’s horrible twin brother, as she called him - Wesley. It was going to be a long seven years.

3: 3 - The First Night (RPG with Henry Key)

Max walked into the Common Room after the sorting hat and welcome feast. It had all pretty much been a blur. Slytherin... How in the heck had it ended up to be... Slytherin?! He had been so sure it would be Gryffindor. He slumped down in the green couch and looked down at his green robes. How had this happened? Hadn't he been good enough for Gryffindor? Hadn't he been brave enough? Strong enough? He shook his head... This wasn't happening. He stared into the fireplace, wishing he could just disappear... 

Another boy came into the common room and he looked to be about as comfortable being there as Max felt. He looked vaguely familiar as well... from some party that he'd gone to in Hogsmeade Village. He walked over to sit down on the other side of the couch. "Hello, you may recognize me from one of those pureblood parties, I think we've talked before. My name is Henry Liam Key."

Max looked up from his melancholy and blinked, seeing a kid he recognized. Well he supposed that was going to happen more often than not. But he wondered if this kid would be like all the others… who would judge him because he was a Paige, because his uncle Josiah was in Azkaban, because his father was an Auror and his mother was a Healer at St. Mungo’s, because his older sister Brianne was the golden child who could do no wrong… 

He remembered the boy though. There had been plenty of Pureblood family parties… he still didn’t really see the point of them. Blood status meant nothing, in his mind. “Hey… Henry, yeah I remember you. You ever feel like you’re living in a nightmare and all you want to do is wake up and do the past twenty-four hours over again, but you can’t?” It was rhetorical, but it was a conversation starter. 

Henry looked over at him and said, "I'd rather redo my whole life than just the last twenty-four hours." He sighed and then looked up. "Why would you want to relive the last twenty-four hours? What happened? Does it have to do with your house? You didn't seem that happy when you were sorted."

Max frowned up at Henry and nodded towards the spot on the couch beside him. “Have a seat. But yeah, I can’t really believe that I’m here. I really thought it was going to be Gryffindor… or something… anything but Slytherin.” He looked like he was just stunned, without any ability to form words or thoughts. 

He ran a hand through his brown curly-ish hair and sighed. “You know all about my family, I’m sure. Being a pure-blood, I bet you’ve heard about my Uncle Josiah and how he’s in Azkaban for… reasons… and how my dad’s an Auror but everyone expected to join my uncle’s gang called the Legion… the ones that live in the Forbidden Forest…” He leaned forward and exhaled deeply. “I’m not like him. The hat is wrong.” 

Max looked over at Henry and asked, “What about you? You seemed about as thrilled as I was…” 

"Some Slytherins are bad, Max," Henry said genuinely, "But every house has it's share of good and bad people. Sometimes at Hogwarts we let our houses be something that you judge others on. It's like how for centuries purebloods have always been the most respected when that isn't fair at all. We all deserve a chance no matter our house, blood, or relatives choices. We can't let others judge us by who we're related to or what house we are in. We need to pave our own paths instead of following in someone else's footsteps. We need to show people that what our relatives choose to do isn't what we'll choose to do. Even though we're in Slytherin, doesn't mean we're evil. Slytherin is just a house for people with similar strengths to be together. Even though Salazar Slytherin believed in some not-so-good things, doesn't mean ever student believes in those things too. I believe that you were put into Slytherin not because you'll side with the dark arts, but because you have some of the qualities a Slytherin might have. Maybe you are part Gryffindor, but we shouldn't dwell on what house we're in but make the most of or Hogwarts education."

Max listened to Henry as he talked about the Slytherin house, and how they judged themselves and others. He knew it was true… he did it all the time, obviously. But Henry was right. This was his own path, not his family’s. “You’re right, Henry... I really hope you’re right. It’s just so hard not to…. To dwell on it, you know? Cos… my whole family wonders if I’ll follow my father’s path or my uncle’s path… but why can’t I make my own, right? Why can’t I just… write my own story?” He sat up a bit straighter, but he wasn’t really sure if he believed it completely yet. Still, it sounded good… 

“I guess you’ve been thinking about this a lot too, right? You seem to know what you’re talking about…” Max was trying to remember what he knew about Henry’s family, but he wasn’t sure he knew much about the boy at all. 

Taking a deep breath Henry said. "Well, yeah, I tell myself this a lot. Mainly because my mother hates me and my father's... well, dead." Sighing slightly Henry spoke again, "Max, just from experience, don't let your family judge you or say anything to hurt you. When I was around five my mother thought I was the 'perfect' child. But about a year later she decided against that decision. After that she basically told me that she didn't care about me any more. I was only six so I didn't know what to do, that's when I started to believe I was worthless and unwanted. But now that I'm eleven when she says those things to me I just let the words wash away. I know your situation is quite different, but don't let what your family says about you get in the way of you living a normal life."

Licking his lips, Henry quickly said, "I'm sorry if I talk to much. I can quite down if you want..." He looked around the room again, quietly reflecting. 

Max watched the boy, knowing that he had maybe pried a little too much into his story. But well, they were down this rabbit hole already, right? Might as well lay it all out on the table. He frowned though, hearing him say that his father was dead and his mother hated him. “Why does she hate you?” he asked softly. He listened then as he went on and talked about how she didn’t care about him. So young, to be so unloved… Max couldn’t imagine it. “Man… I can’t believe she would just… decide to hate you like that. Your own mother....” He shook his head. “No, don’t stop on my account… It’s nice to talk to someone who… gets it. I don’t know… maybe we’ll be able to help each other write our own story, you know?” ((insert irony sign here :P)) He looked around the common room and shrugged a bit. “Maybe being… green… won’t be too bad?” 

4: 4 - September Classes

Transfiguration: Introduction

When there was a lull between students answering the professor’s questions, Max raised his hand. He didn’t feel like writing out something if he didn’t have to. 

“Hey everyone, my name is Max Paige and I was put in the Slytherin House… for some reason… I’m still trying to work that one out, to be honest.” 

There were some snickers and raised eyebrows at his name and he sighed. “Yes, I’m that Max Paige. Yes, my father is an Auror. Yes, he arrested his twin brother on the day I got my letter. Yes, my uncle was sent to Azkaban. Any other questions on that particular subject will have to wait until after class,” he gave them a warning glare, And they all went quiet again. 

“Anyway… My head of House… That’s Blair Ashford. She’s pretty great and has been really welcoming and friendly since I got to the house, though I’m obviously still somewhat bitter about it. But she’s helping make it a little easier.” 

He looked at the next question and then said, “My wand… well... It’s made of Chestnut Tree and Dragon Heartstring. It’s thirteen inches long.” 

He took a deep breath and said, “Transfiguration… is a subject that has always confused me. I’ve tried to read the text book and prepare for the class but I just… I don’t get it. But if I want to be an Auror like my dad, I guess I’m going to have to figure it out, right? From what I understand, Transfiguration is the act of making something into something it’s not. Like, changing its whole form into a different form. I’ve never actually seen it taken place. It’s not something my parents do very often. Mom is a Healer at St. Mungo’s, and Dad being an Auror, they’re both quite busy and not really around all that much… but even from other family and stuff… and living in Hogsmeade Village… it’s still not something that I have ever seen done. I’ve heard rumours, of course, of the spell being done in the village, but yeah… never actually seen it.” 

Max thought about the last question and tilted his head. “One interesting fact about me… I really can’t think of anything all that interesting other than I have a really good memory, and I really like wizards chess. Hopefully we can all play a game or two at some point!” 

With that, he sat down, satisfied with his answers to the questions. 

Sources: 

My Imagination/NPCs.
The Job List on WOP.

 

Potions: Introductions

Dear Professor Bennett, 

My name is Max Paige. I’m eleven years old and I was sorted into the Slytherin House, though I’m still not sure how that happened. My parents are both magical, so I am a Pure-Blood. Dad works as an Auror at the Ministry of Magic and Mom works as a Healer at St. Mungo’s. We live in Hogsmeade Village, and I have an older sister named Brianne who’s in Gryffindor. No pressure, right? 

I am looking forward to studying Potions! With the work that my parents do, I have learned a lot about the value of potions already. Dad uses them all the time, like the Polyjuice Potion, which has allowed him to take the form of someone else for a while. It really is useful for when he needs to sneak in places… Aurors aren’t usually liked all that much, so it helps him find the information or people he needs before he actually makes the conviction! 

Mom has used a lot of potions as well… the most popular one is Dittany, which she uses to heal up our cuts and scrapes that we get… My sister and I have a habit of getting into trouble pretty easily! Another potion I know really well is Gillyweed… I’m a terrible swimmer, and my mother gave me this potion to help me hold my breath longer underwater! It’s super handy!

I’m really curious to learn more about the potions that my father uses for protecting witches and wizards against dangerous creatures, or dangerous items that could cause them harm. That way I can help prevent the effects of some things before people like my mother are needed.  

I think you are going to be a great professor, Professor Bennett! You really seem like you respect the subject, and understand the dangers and benefits of potions. I think you’ll do your best to teach us to stay safe while we brew potions, but also let us have some fun with it too. 

Looking forward to spending the next seven years learning with you, Sir! 

Maxwell Paige.
Slytherin.

Sources:
My Imagination/NPCs.
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Polyjuice_Potion
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Dittany
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Gillyweed

 

History of Magic: Dear Future Me…

Dear Seventh Year Max, 

Well, Maxwell Paige, this is your eleven year old self! I can’t believe it was Slytherin that the Sorting Hat put me into… I really hope by the time you get this letter, the shock will have worn off! At the moment, it still seems like the sorting hat made a huge mistake! 

History of Magic is really important. The main reason for me right now is that it’s good to know what led the wizarding world to be the way it is. The big battles at Hogwarts also help me remember that I can face anything and conquer it with the education I’m going to learn here. 

The biggest event that’s happened to me so far is when my uncle Josiah was arrested and brought to Azkaban. We were visiting him and my aunt Melanie when it happened. Dad, who’s an Auror, wasn’t there. All of a sudden, he and a bunch of other aurors just… appeared. Dad came in and told my uncle he was to come with them. We had no idea why, but it was really scary. Aunt Mel was really shocked, and crying… I’ll never forget it. Later, the Daily Prophet showed Uncle Josiah’s picture at Azkaban, listing all the dark magic he had done. Then the rumours started, and it was revealed that my uncle had tried to convince Dad to leave the aurors and come join him, but Dad didn’t. Now… everyone thinks I’ll be tempted too… I guess only time will tell, right? 

I really like Professor Sawyer, and her excitement. I also love how she said that our own history is important, but we also have our own story to tell… Remember that, older Max. It’s still YOUR story. No matter what has happened through these seven years, and no matter what happens still. It’s still your story, and only you can write it. You might not be able to write the events, but YOU can control how to react. 

From,
Your younger self. 
 

Sources:
My Imagination/NPCs.

 

Charms: Bienvenuto! Welcome to Charms! 

Max stood up when it was his turn and made his way to the front of the class. He wasn’t shy about talking in front of people, but talking about himself lately was scary, especially after the past year. 

“Hey guys. My name is Max Paige, and somehow the Sorting Hat put me in Slytherin House.” 

“Like his uncle,” a Gryffindor muttered, and Max winced, but he’d expected it. 

“I’m not like him, I promise,” Max insisted, trying to shrug it off. “Anyway, I’m a Pure-blood wizard as some of you probably already know. An interesting fact about me is that I have an eidetic memory, which should come hin handy when it’s exam time!” 

He took out his wand and showed it to the class. “This is my wand. It’s a Chestnut Tree core, with Dragon Heartstring. Its length is thirteen inches.” He thought about the description Ollivander gave him. “This wand was said to be good for those good with creatures and plants, but who struggle with Dark Arts and Charms. It’s also good for wizards with determination, and that’s all stuff that describes me well.” 

He looked at the board and went on. “I think Charms are basically spells and incantations that either change what an object’s characteristics are, and change how someone or something is affected by an action. The difference from Transfiguration is that Charms doesn’t change the complete form or structure of the object itself, like that class does.” 

Max bit his lip and went on. “I’m looking forward to learning charms that will help us be protected in dangerous situations. I’m not excited about duels though. I don’t want to hurt anyone… I want to learn how to protect people so they don’t get hurt…” 

He took a deep breath then and said, “I have seen my family do all sorts of charms. Dad has had to use a lot since he’s an Auror, and Mom knows a lot of recovery ones like reparo and others. My sister Brianne practiced all of the first year charms a lot this summer, because now she’s in second year. Especially Lumos and Nox. I guess that answers all the questions,” he said and went to sit down. 

 

Sources:
My Imagination/NPCs.
Knowledge of Spells from Harry Potter books.

 

DADA: Can You Sing It? 

Max looked at the assignment and sighed. A song or a poem… he was terrible at both, but he would give it a shot. When it was his turn he took a deep breath and stood up. “My name is Maxwell Paige, yes the one and the same Paige. Eleven is my age and Slytherin is my house, though I still think that the sorting hat is one big louse… I think he made a mistake, with the path he chose me to take…” 

Inhaling, he went on. “Quidditch is the best game yet. I bet we’ll all have fun with it. I can’t wait to get up in the sky, to soar above the pitch and fly. 

“The Dark Arts are really, really dark. The spells we learn will make us sharp. We’ll duel and read and cast and flee, and when we’re done we won’t be afraid of thee!” 

“The Patronus spell is super cool… You can protect any creature like they’re a fool… I wonder what my patronus will be… It will surely be a sight to see!” 

“The creature that fears me the most is the acromantula, because it goes… It goes so slow and looks so big, and is hairy and furry and has too many legs.” 

“Professor Ashworth, he’s the man. He’ll teach us everything that he can. If we listen and pay attention to him, he will make us his bravest team!” 

Max sat down, knowing that his poem was probably terrible, but at least he tried, right? 

 

Sources:
My Imagination and Knowledge of the Harry Potter creatures and spells.

 

Herbology: Welcome to Herbology! 

Dear professor, 

My name is Tessa Elliot, and I am writing to you about my classmate, Max Paige. I have known Max since we were very little, and we have been best friends ever since! We’re pretty much neighbours, living on the same street in Hogsmeade Village! 

Max’s full name is Maxwell Paige. He was sorted into Slytherin House, which was a shock to all of us, especially him. He really thought he would be in Gryffindor like his father, and not Slytherin like his Uncle… He really got upset about it and I had to comfort him a lot for the first couple of days… I told him that the house really didn’t matter, and that he could be great wherever he lived in Hogwarts. I don’t think he’s convinced yet though. 

Max is about four feet and two inches tall. He’s got brown hair that’s cut pretty short and these intense green eyes that when they look at you… it’s like he’s looking into your soul. ‘Course we’ve been best friends for so long, he knows me better than I probably know myself! He usually wears all black.. When he’s not wearing his uniform, that is. 

His family is… complicated. Our two families are pretty close, but not necessarily in a good way. The thing is, his uncle Josiah and my dad are uh… best friends. And they work in Knockturn Alley together at these shops they own… well they did until… Josiah got arrested and sent to Azkaban. No one is really sure yet why that happened… But he was arrested by his dad on Max’s eleventh birthday - when he got his Hogwarts Letter. It was a pretty shocking day! I was there for his party when it happened! 

His father’s name is Richard. He is an Auror and the complete opposite of his twin brother Josiah. Very strict and by the book and… doesn’t always talk to Max about a lot of things. It’s kind of sad, really. His mom is great though. Marianne is a Healer at St. Mungo’s. She has this huge greenhouse where she keeps all these plants for potions and herbs and stuff… she lets me help her out sometimes. I hope I can maybe do it for a summer job next year now that I’m old enough to get paid for it! Oh! And he has a sister named Brianne! She’s a year older than us, like my brother Wesley, and they’re pretty close friends too. Brianne is a Hufflepuff and Wes is a Slytherin. To say our family relationships are complicated is... well, an understatement. 

Anyway, I guess that’s all… Max Paige is a really great guy and he’s my best friend. Honestly, I think we’ll get married someday! But really, I’m just glad that we get to go to Hogwarts together… I just hope he can get over the fact that he got sorted into Slytherin House. I really think he’s going to make a great wizard! 

Thanks for reading my letter about my friend Max! 

Love, Tessa. 

Sources:
My Imagination/writing as Max’s best friend, Tessa.
NPC Characters. 

 

Care of Magical Creatures: Introductions

Dear Diary, 

Today I had to tell the class all about myself. My name as you know is Max Paige. I’m in Slytherin House, for some reason, and I love Quidditch! We have a black and white husky named Kito back home, and I miss him a lot! 

I think it’s important to study about magical creatures and caring for them because if you don’t, something could go seriously wrong. You could get hurt, or even killed if you don’t respect the animal world. 

I’m most excited to learn about the dangerous creatures that are out there, and how to protect oneself from them. I’m least excited about learning about flobberworms and having to take the mucus out of them for potions or whatever. I’ve seen my mom do it, and it’s absolutely disgusting! I really hate having to do things that are dirty and messy… I’d rather be learning about charms and spells and interacting with the animal themselves! The classification and writing boring notes about them doesn’t excite me at all, but I know it will be important while we learn about them. Knowledge can keep us safe, after all. 

 

Sources:
My Imagination.

 

Flying: An Introduction to Flying

Max waited until it was his turn to speak and then stood up, looking around the class. “I am pretty excited about this class! Flying for me means being able to move freely in the air, with either the help of a broomstick or some other spell or charm. But mainly with a broomstick.”  

He frowned a little and said, “I have never actually flown before… I’ve been to a lot of Quidditch World Cups, so I’ve obviously watched a lot of flying… and I guess I’ve flown on the back of my father’s broom before… but otherwise we’ve always just taken the train. That was fun and all but… I can’t wait to get up in the air on my own broomstick and control where I go… I can’t wait to feel the wind behind me, the freedom of just zooming through the sky like a bird… It really can’t come soon enough!”  

He thought about the last question and then said, “I think that broomsticks are a better way to travel than floo powder or apparition. For one thing, there is a lot more control when you are holding onto the broomstick. You don’t risk ending up in the wrong place, like you can with the others. Also… you don’t risk losing limbs or body parts like you can with apparition… So I would feel a whole lot safer with a broomstick!” 

When he was finished answering all the questions, Max sat back down with the others and continued to listen to the others as the class continued.  

 

Sources:
My Imagination

 

5: 5 - October Classes

Transfiguration: The Dangers of Transfiguratio

Transfiguration is an aspect of magic that is very complicated and potentially very dangerous. Any number of things can go wrong and it is important to understand these dangers and theories before even attempting to perform this difficult magic. 

Conjuration is one of the branches of Transfiguration that is quite limited. There are five basic essential facts to what is called “Gamp’s Law of Elemental Transfiguration”. One could not conjure up food out of nowhere, though food that was already there could be charmed with magic. There were also many limits set by the Ministry of Magic that told the wizard what they could or could not conjure out of nowhere… and if they tried to, the item would not be permanent in existence, but would disappear after some time. 

These limitations are quite valuable to the controlling of magic and the nature of Transfiguration. There are many laws of nature in the physical world that magic has to adhere to, even though it can charm and effect things in different ways. To make something out of nothing like food would be difficult to do and one couldn’t do it because of Gamp’s Law. Food can’t be made out of nothing, but you can make more of something that exists already, or make it bigger or make it come to you. Wine, sauces, and other water liquids can be created though. 

Two of the many types of transfiguration include Vanishment and Switching. 

One of the dangers of transfiguration is half-transfiguration. One of the risks is that the person could be stuck in a halfway form. One could be either fully transfigured into the unnatural state, or they could even be partially transfigured. For example, when Hermione Granger tried to use the polyjuice potion to transform into one of the Slytherin students she had cat ears and a tail instead of the full person. 

There are so many dangers that you need to be aware of when it comes to transfiguration. What is important is focus, determination, and knowledge of the spells you are performing. 

 

Sources:
RPG with Professor Myers in Owls for Assistance.
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Transfiguration

 

Potions: It’s All About the Cauldron

- Pewter Cauldron:
- Description: Used by first-year students at Hogwarts. Made of tin and pewter. Beginner cauldron. Black.
- Manufacturer: Potage’s Cauldron Shop.
- Brewing Speed: Slow.
- Cauldron Price: Fifteen Galleons

- Copper Cauldron:
- Description: Made of copper metal. Efficient cauldron. Orange colour.
- Manufacturer: Potage’s Cauldron Shop.
- Brewing Speed: Fast.
- Cauldron Price: Twenty-five Galleons. 

- Brass Cauldron:
- Description: Made from brass, an alloy of zinc and copper. Black.
- Manufacturer: Potage’s Cauldron Shop.
- Brewing Speed: Medium.
- Cauldron Price: Twenty-one Galleons.

 

Sources:
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Pewter_Cauldron
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Copper_Cauldron
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Brass_Cauldron

 

History of Magic: The Chosen One

Dear Diary,

Today in class we learned about Harry Potter, the one who defeated Lord Voldemort. Since I’ve grown up learning all about Hogwarts and Quidditch and things, I’ve read about him already! When I went to pick up my five candies, I decided to get one of each colour. I wanted to write the most variety of facts! 

So for the red candy we had to talk about an object that he owned. The first one that came to mind was his Invisibility Cloak. It made him completely unseen from everyone passing by! He got it from Albus Dumbledore as a birthday present, but it originally came from his dad. 

For green candies, we had to write about a family member. The first one I thought of was his mother, Lily Potter. She met James Potter, Harry’s father, at Hogwarts and they started dating there, and eventually got married. They joined the Order of the Phoenix, and she died in 1981 while trying to save Harry from Voldemort. 

Purple candies meant a significant event. There are so many to choose from! I think the one that hits me the most is the Triwizard Tournament. Not only was he tricked into joining it, but he also rose to the challenge and defeated each task. In the end, he witnessed Cedric’s death, and Voldemort’s return - something that would change his life forever, as well as the history of the wizarding world. 

For the Blue candy I had to write about one of his friends. Neville stuck out to me for this one. He was clumsy and accident-prone, but his passion for helping Harry ended in him destroying the last Horcrux, and fighting in several battles at Hogwarts. He’s an often underrated character, but he was vital to the story, and to Harry’s life! 

Finally, the yellow candy was a fun fact. Harry had a lightning bolt scar on his forehead that was unique to anyone else. It became painful when Voldemort was nearby or at work, but this knowledge often helped him save his own life, as well as others! 

 

Sources:
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Invisibility_cloak
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/1991
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Lily_J._Potter
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Harry_Potter
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Neville_Longbottom
Knowledge of the Harry Potter series.

 

Charms: I Cannot Get Inside

The Unlocking Charm, as obviously stated, unlocks objects. The incantation is to say “Alohamora”, pronouncing it “ah-LO-ho-MOR-ah”. With the wand, one makes a backwards “S” shape. The light from the wand could be invisible, purple, yellow or blue. The spell is also called “Thief’s Friend”. 

The spell was created in Africa, but then a sorcerer taught the spell to a robber named Eldon Elsrickle. When he came back to London, he started to steal things from both wizards and muggles with the spell. 

The counter-charm, the one that makes the charm useless, is called the “Anti-Alohomora Charm”, but no one really knows what the incantation is. 

There were two other spells used before the Alohomora spell was created. The main one is called “Porlaberto”. This spell cuts the lock from the door. Sometimes though, it created a hole of smoke where the key had gone.

The other spell was called “Open Sesame”. This one was more intense and actually tore away the door from the hinges, making it firewood. 

Another way to unlock a sealed door could be done with the use of a winged key. Some other spells include Annihilatre, which opens or completely destroyed, a locked door. Alberto is a charm that simply opens doors. The Dunamis Charm has the same effects as the Liberare charm and unlocks doors. 

 

Sources:
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Unlocking_Charm
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Anti-Alohomora_Charm
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Annihilare
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Opening_Charm
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Dunamis
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Liberare

 

DADA: What’s Dark Arts? 

Max sat in the library and pulled out his notebook. He had his Dark Arts notes with him and was ready to work. He looked up when he saw Tessa the Ravenclaw and he smiled. “Hi there. Do you want to do Dark Arts homework with me?” 

“Sure! I was hoping to find some sort of study group maybe,” she said and sat down beside him. 

“Did someone say study group?” Dan the Hufflepuff came from around the side of the bookshelf. 

“I believe he did!” Melissa, a Gryffindor, appeared. She had been spending time with them and they were becoming quite a usual group. 

“Okay, we four are a group… but next time we meet we’ll be in the Room of Requirement,” Max decided. “So, dark arts, what are dark arts?” 

“According to the professor,” Tessa said as she looked at her class notes. “They are acts of magic that are done to destroy something, or hurt someone.” She looked at the next question and asked, “Why is it important to study it? Voldemort’s dead. So are the dark arts, aren’t they?” 

Melissa shook her head, looking from Max to Tessa. “Hardly, Tessa. The dark arts are still very real. Have you never heard of the Legion?” 

Max winced as he heard the name. It was the title for the group of dark wizards his uncle Josiah had been the leader of… before he was sent to Azkaban. “We can talk about that later,” Max deflected. “We have to study dark arts so that we know how they work, and how to keep ourselves and others safe from them.” 

“Alright, let’s move on,” Dan suggested. “A dark object, and a dark creature. The first object I can think of is the Hand of Glory. It’s a shriveled hand sold at Borgin and Burkes. It gives like, like from a candle, to only the person holding it. I think it’s considered dark because it only helps one person, and they can use it to sneak in and out of places.” He looked over at Melissa. “You want to talk about a dark creature?” 

“Sure,” Mel nodded, finally taking her suspicious gaze off Max. “I’ll go with an easy one. The Grindylow. They’ve got slick green skin and don’t get to be taller than five feet. They’re considered a XX on the classification scale, mainly because they can become pretty nasty to wizards/witches, even to muggles. The only one who can tame them are merpeople.” 

“I guess we’re done,” Max said with accomplishment in his voice. “Let’s go hand this in, and we’ll get together next time there’s a group project!” 

 

Sources:
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Hand_of_Glory
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Grindylow
Npc Characters: Tessa, Melissa, and Dan. My Imagination.

 

Herbology: Devil’s Snare

Max went up to the seventh floor with a heavy sigh. He should have lived on this floor, used the fat lady to get to his dorm room. Instead, his new home was in the dungeon. The fireplaces and candles of the Slytherin common room made it cozy enough, but it just wasn’t what he’d expected. It had been over a month, and clearly he wasn’t over it. 

He found the corridor where the Room of Requirement could be accessed. He had a feeling the others were already there, and he walked back and forth three times, picturing the study room inside. Sure enough, a door appeared and he went in. 

The room was the perfect location for a secret study club where they wouldn’t be interrupted. There were four tables set up in a square so they would all face each other when seated. As expected, his three close friends were already there, textbooks open and notebooks ready. 

“Last one here gets to lead the session,” Dan smirked as Max took his seat and opened his book bag. “Today, it’s the Devil’s Snare.” 

“Right. Sorry I’m late; the darn moving stairs caught me. First question… Two uses of Devil’s Snare?” 

“Well for one thing, it’s pretty good at guarding things…” Melissa pointed out. “For another thing, it makes a pretty good weapon, and can kill someone pretty quickly.” 

“Maybe you should’ve been in Slytherin,” Max half-joked. “You seem way too fascinated.” 

“I’ve often wondered that myself.” Mel admitted. “What are three distinctive features of the plant?” 

“I’ll take this one,” Dan said. “Their vines are like tentacles, first of all. Secondly, they like dark and damp environments. Third… they suffocate anything that touches them. Pretty creepy, if you ask me,” Dan made a face. “Oh and… the country they’re found in is right here in Scotland. Great.” 

“Don’t worry,” Max gave him a sympathetic smile. “There are a couple spells we can use to protect ourselves if we’re caught in it. Just get really good at the Wand-Lighting Charm and the Fire-Making Spell. It hates fire and light.” He saw they were done the questions and said, “Looks like we’re done. Onto the next assignment!” 

 

Sources:
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Room_of_Requirement
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Devil's_Snare
My Imagination and NPC Characters.

 

COMC: Classifications (X-XXXXX) 

Dear Diary, 

Today we had to meet in the classroom for COMC which only meant one thing: classifications. I know, it’s important, it’s just so boring! 

We had to first write about a creature with an X classification. The first one that came to my mind was the Flobberworm. They only eat plants and their mucus is used in potions. They’re long; ten inches, but harmless. 

Next we had to write about the most dangerous classification: XXXXX. The first one that came to my mind was the Basilisk. These guys could kill with just a look, or they could petrify their victims. If that wasn’t enough… their fangs are venemous, and they’re very poisonous. 

Okay, so maybe the classifications aren’t as boring as I thought. In fact, they’re actually pretty useful. If you know what classification an animal is, you can know how afraid you have to be if you face one. It also helps to know if you need to be on the defensive, or ready to protect someone when you see a creature. 

Pretty cool class, really! Looking forward to more! 

Max. 

 

Sources:
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Flobberworm
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Basilisk
My Imagination.

 

Flying: Flying As a Way of Magical Transportation

Max entered the Room of Requirement, surprised to see that he was not the last one there this time. “Wow, I must be getting better at finding my way around the place!” 

“It’s definitely not easy,” Tessa agreed. “I still can’t figure out how to get to the Herbology greenhouses without getting lost.” 

“We can walk around sometime and figure it out, if you want. Might be easier than when we’re running to class.” 

Dan and Mel ran into the room then, at exactly the same time. “Darn it, you’re last!” Mel exclaimed, panting. 

“No way. I got a foot in before you did!” 

“Oh, for goodness sake, I’ll lead,” Tessa said with a sigh as the others sat down. “Dan, you get the first question. What’s an advantage of flying, and why is that important to you?” 

“Well, there’s definitely less traffic in the sky, that’s for sure,” the boy smirked. “Trust me, if you were ever stuck in traffic with Muggles honking horns all around you, and you just want to get to the hockey game… no traffic will be amazing!” 

They laughed and Max put in, “Yeah but the disadvantage is, you can only really fly over magical towns like Hogsmeade… unless you’re really good at staying hidden. When you’ve got a father who’s an Auror, and he’s firm about the Statute of Secrecy, staying hidden matters. 

“Both great points. Did you know that Flying Carpets are illegal in Great Britain?” Mel asked as she looked at the next question. “Apparently they’re now seen as a Muggle Artifact. So now wizards can’t charm them to fly, though it’s allowed in other places.” 

“It makes sense,” Tessa shrugged. “Think about what Max said about the Statute of Secrecy. How are you going to explain a flying carpet to Muggles?” 

“In that case, maybe brooms shouldn’t be used at all,” Dan suggested. “Trust me… as a Muggle? We’d notice something fly above us that wasn’t supposed to be there.” 

“Then maybe they should make something like a bird or a cloud… to keep it less obvious,” Max suggested. 

“Great discussion today, guys!” Tessa exclaimed, and the group packed up their homework. 

 

Sources:
My Imagination/NPC Characters.
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Flying_carpet

 

Personal Diary Entry: 

Max knew that he needed to get to know people better this year. He couldn’t just sit in his common room or dorm all day, or on the Quidditch Pitch by himself, or in the library… And he couldn’t just hang out with Tessa because he knew her since he was a child. Dan and Melissa had their friends too. So here he sat, at the Slytherin table, working on his Dark Arts homework. It was a journal entry that he was working on, and he was reflecting on the class where they had learned Expelliarmus. It had been quite an interesting feeling, having the wand taken away from him like that… He really hoped that kind of thing didn’t happen to him often in the real world. 

The real world… where his uncle had been arrested and sent to Azkaban last August. He hadn’t had much time to think about it all, because it had been then shopping in Diagon Alley and all of a sudden he was here at Hogwarts, studying and meeting people and trying not to get lost as he went through the hallways. Over the summer he had done a bit of digging and reading into the various archives of the Daily Prophet that Tessa’s mom had in her attic. Some were helpful, but he was still missing something… something big… He couldn’t quite figure out what it was. But he couldn’t think about all that now. This was time for homework. He reached for the cup of coffee, because thank God he was twelve and old enough to have the beverage, and drank some of it, staring sleepily at his blank journal entry. 

6: 6 - November Classes

Transfig: The Branches of Transfiguration

Since their partner had to be a Muggle-born, Max teamed up with his friend Daniel the Hufflepuff. They opened their books and got to work. 

“Okay so we have to name the four branches of Transfiguration and describe them,” Max read the first question. “Let’s go back and forth. You want to go first?” 

“Transformation is the first one,” Dan read. “It’s when you change the target from whatever the target is.” 

“Untransfiguration, on the other hand, basically undoes the transformation that was just done,” Max said. 

“Switching is really crazy” Dan pointed out as he read. “It’s when you have two objects, or people I guess, and you make them each look like the other.” 

“Then you’ve got Vanishment, which makes things disappear…” 

“And conjuration, which makes them appear again!” Dan exclaimed. 

“What are the two sub-branches, and what main branch are they part of?” Max asked. “The first one is Human Transfiguration. Like when you change bodies, or parts of bodies, into something different. It goes under the Transfiguration branch.” 

“The other one is Trans-Species,” Dan read, staring at the textbook. “It’s in the Switching branch. It’s like changing a species of plant… a Mandrake maybe, with Devil’s Snare. Or switching two different dog breeds.” 

“Okay, now we have to give an example of a spell for each branch of transfiguration. Just the main four,” Max instructed. 

“One spell for Transformation would be Match to Needle,” Dan guessed.

“Untransfiguration… Reparifage. That’s a good counter-spell for Transformation.” 

“One spell for Vanishment’s branch is the spell ‘Evanesco’. It makes things disappear.” 

“And lastly, a spell for Conjuration is Ferula. It makes a wooden rod and some bandages appear, though why you need such things together I don’t know.”

“Have you ever done a Conjuration spell before?” Dan asked. “I obviously haven’t.” 

“Well no, I haven’t myself either, but my sister Brianne did one for Christmas last year. She did the Orchideus spell, to create some flowers for the middle of the table.” 

“That’s cool! I want to become an animagus when I grow up!” Dan declared. “What do you want to learn more about?” 

“Honestly, I want to learn more about Vanishment spells,” Max admitted, “I would think it would make sense to make things disappear… like scary or dangerous stuff. I really don’t quite get the point of transformation, to be honest.” 

“I guess we’ll just have to wait and see!” 

Sources: 

My Imagination/NPCs.
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Transfiguration

 

Potions: Ingredients Part 1

Dried Nettles comes from when you dry the nettle plant, which is also called the stinging nettle, or burn hazel. The plant is green in colour and has green leaves covered in hairs that are stringy. Nettles can be used in the Cure for Boils potion and also in beverages like wine and tea. It can also be made in soup, and apparently it can make hair look more glossy. The nettle tea is actually really good, and she showed me how to make it, so I’ve seen the leaves being used. Mom has made it for me when I needed to calm down after a nightmare… 

Snake fangs are white in colour and are white, and are in a powdered form when used. But when you get them, they just look like long, skinny teeth. They can be used in several different potions. The Cure for Boils is the main potion, but also the Wideye Potion and the Strength Potion. It sounds like they are very useful items to have, but I have never seen or used them before. 

Horned Slugs are simply long and slimy slugs that have little horns above their heads. They are used in the Cure for Boils potion when you stew them up. I’ve never really seen them before and found it fascinating to watch them move around with their little horns. 

The last recipe in Cure for Boils is the Porcupine Quills. They look just like long, skinny twigs and are black in colour. They apparently are very useful little things though. They can be used in the Cure for Boils potion, obviously, the Elixir to Induce Euphoria, the Draught of Peace, and the Hair-Raising Potion. The last one is amusing because on porcupines their hairs are usually long and pointy. I’ve seen them on porcupines out in the wild before when dad and I would go exploring.

 

Sources:
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Nettle
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Snake_fang
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Horned_slug
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Porcupine_quill
My Imagination/NPC Family.

 

HOM: Oldy Voldy Moldy

Max sat in the Room of Requirement, waiting for the others to get there. It was November, and he was doing everything he could to find the fastest way through the castle. He hadn’t mastered it yet, but he was getting better! 

Tessa, Dan and Melissa soon all came in together. “We were waiting outside the door for you,” Tessa told him. “I suggested you might already be here!” 

“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” Max chuckled. “I guess our ‘castle tours’ are helping. You guys ready to talk about Voldemort?” 

“If we must,” Dan the Muggle said and they all took their seats. “I’m just glad I didn’t know about him until now. He sounds worse than the boogeyman!” 

“Oh he was!” Mel said with awe in her voice. “He started out just like us, though… He grew up with parents… he had a normal name too: Tom Riddle. He was an only child, and his parents were named Tom and Merope. His mom had a really cool name!” 

“It scares me that you knew all of that without looking at your textbook,” Tessa shook her head. “He made seven Horcruxes, to preserve his life forever. The first one I’m thinking about is the diary. He hid it in the Chamber of Secrets, but Ginny Weasley found it and wrote all her feelings in it. She put her soul into that thing, and it’s what helped Voldemort become stronger.” 

“Okay yeah, I’m still going with creepy,” Dan shuddered and looked through his book. “The biggest event he took part in for me was probably the duel in Little Hangleton. It was the moment when he rose to power again, coming back to his full self as Harry was tied to the Riddle family graveyard. Then he fought Harry in a duel! Harry fought him, but managed to escape!” 

“You’ve been awfully quiet today Max,” Tessa observed. “Do you think Tom would’ve turned out differently if he were raised in a wizarding family?” 

Max broke out of his private thoughts of his uncle’s gang, the Legion, and their wish to carry on in Voldemort’s footprints. “What? Oh yeah… the orphanage that treated him horribly and he was kind of forced to fight back? Maybe in a wizarding family, he could have seen the good side of life too, instead of just the bad. Also the whole ‘defeating death’ thing?” He looked down at his book, then back at his friends. “Maybe if he’d had better influences, a better path, more to be proud of… he wouldn’t have to come back in act of revenge, to destroy those he thought had destroyed him.” 

The others stared at him, amazed by his answer. He’d clearly, however, given this a lot of thought lately and just shrugged. “Just a suggestion…” 

 

Sources: 
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Tom_Riddle
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/T._M._Riddle's_Diary
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Tom_Riddle#Duel_in_Little_Hangleton
My Imagination and NPC Characters. (Mel, Dan, and Tessa)

 

Charms: Do Not Let Anyone In!

Max thought this was definitely a creative way to learn the Locking and Unlocking spells. He went up to the front and took a bottle of Butterbeer, because he’d remembered Tessa liked the stuff. He put it in the box, then closed the box shut. He took out his wand and said, “Colloportus”. He made the wand movement of an incomplete rectangle with the last part going down instead of up. No light shone from his wand, but when he’d finished the movement he’d failed to lock the box. He tried a second time, but messed up the incantation because he was so nervous. 

“Calm down, Max,” Tessa came over and put a hand on his shoulder. “You’re stressing yourself out.” 

Max spun around, trying to hide the box. “You’re not supposed to see inside the box!” 

“It’s not locked, but it is closed,” Tessa chuckled. “Here, say the incantation slowly with me.” 

They said the word slower, and Max held his breath as he tried the lock on the box. “Okay, it worked, ‘cause I can’t open it now. Thanks Tessa. I guess I just have to work on my pronunciation, and relaxing a little.” 

Tessa giggled and handed over her box for him to unlock. “It’s okay… I’m a Ravenclaw; you just wanted to impress me, right?” 

“Sure, that must be it.” He blushed a little as he took Tessa’s box and gave her his. The truth was, he had wanted to impress her, but not because she was a Ravenclaw. She’d showed him the way around the castle… he wanted to prove to her that he wasn’t completely stupid. 

Thankfully, he had been practicing “Alohomora”. It was definitely a lot easier to say now! He opened Tessa’s box on the first try, and wasn’t surprised when she unlocked his box quickly too. 

He also wasn’t surprised to find a bottle of Butterbeer in his box, like he had given her. She laughed too as she took out the bottle. 

“Okay, it’s a sign!” Max clinked his bottle to hers after opening it. “We’re too much alike!” 

“Great minds and all that,” Tessa winked at him, and he was thrilled that she liked his gift as much as he had liked hers.

 

Sources:
Information from the Lecture.
Knowledge about Alohomora Spell from last week.
Imagination and NPC Character. (Tessa Elliot)

 

DADA: One Spark, Two Sparks, Three Sparks? 

Since Tessa had already paired up with Melissa, Max paired up with Dan, the Muggle/Hufflepuff. They were actually becoming pretty good friends, and it was fun working together! 

The first spell they had to practice was “Periculum”. They both stood across from each other and held their wands to the roof of the classroom. That was the hand movement. 

“On three?” Dan suggested and Max nodded. Dan counted down and the boys said in unison, “Periculum!” A burst of sparks shot out from Dan’s wand, but not Max’s. 

“Slower Max,” Dan suggested. “More confident."

On about the third try, red sparks burst up from his wand. 

The second spell was the Red Sparks one. The incantation was “Vermillious”, and the wand movement was a quick flick to the right and down. It took both of them a few tries on this one, but they helped each other out and eventually shot jets of red sparks up from their wands. 

The last charm was the Green Sparks spell. There was no incantation given, which made it easier. They flicked their wands to the right, then quickly to the left. A green jet of sparks shot upwards! 

Dan Pierce beamed over at Max when they were done. “We work pretty well together, when we’re not so distracted by the girls.” 

Max blushed, but nodded in agreement. “Yeah, you’re good with the incantations. It seems to be a challenge for me.” 

“That’s why we practice!” Dan smirked and Max nodded. He knew just the place to practice! 

 

Sources:
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Periculum
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Red_Sparks
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Green_Sparks
My Imagination and NPC Characters: Tessa, Melissa, and Dan.

 

Herbology: Lumos Solem

Dear Diary, 

Today we practiced the spell that we can use to protect ourselves from the Devil’s Snare plant. We didn’t actually get to work with the plant, but it was good to practice the spell anyway. 

The incantation for the plant was to say “Lumos Solem”. It is pronounced “LOO-mos SO-lem”. The wand movement is simply to point your wand at whatever the target is. A bright yellow light will appear, creating the effect of making sunlight! 

When I practiced the spell, it took me a few tries to get it right. I always seem to be struggling with pronunciation of the words. It looked like my classmates were struggling with it too, but some were creating a big bright light. I had to be careful where I looked! I almost wish I’d brought sunglasses with me to class! 

As I read the textbook, it was pretty clear why this spell works so were to attack the Devil’s Snare. The plant really doesn’t like sunshine, or things that are really hot. Lumos Solem creates both of these effects. 

 

Sources:
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Lumos_Solem_Spell

 

COMC: The Ministry Rating System (X-XXXXX) 

The Ministry of Magic has a five-X rating system for the various creatures that can be found in the magical world. The amount of X’s in the classification show how dangerous the creature is. 

“X” means that the creature is boring and likely unattractive. “XX” means that the creature won’t cause any harm to a human, and they can still be tamed. “XXX” means that a wizard with enough training can handle them. “XXXX” means that the creature can be considered harmful, but a wizard with specific knowledge of the creature can face them. “XXXXX” is the most dangerous creature of all. They can and will kill wizards, and no one can tame them to be peaceful. 

My favourite category is probably “XXX”. It includes things like the Jarveys, Pixies, Ashwinders, and Nifflers. These creatures can still be trained and have a lot of unique qualities, making them potentially good pets. 

 

Sources:
My Imagination.
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Department_for_the_Regulation_and_Control_of_Magical_Creatures#Classification_of_Magical_Creatures
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Niffler

 

Flying: Summoning and Mounting Your Broom

Max stood next to his three friends in Flying Class. He was excited to be on a broom finally. They didn’t get to fly yet but… it was another step closer to being in the air! 

“Alright guys, we’ve got this. Let’s summon our brooms!” Melissa exclaimed. He wasn’t the only one excited!  

Dan looked nervous about seeing a broomstick move, Tessa was just as eager as Max was, and Mel seemed to just want to prove she could master anything!  

Max took a deep breath and held out his hand. He stood on the left side of the broom, stretched out his right hand and said, “Up!” He said it with so much excitement that the broom shot right up into his hand! 

“Okay, that was impressive,” Dan blinked at him with awe.  

“I knew you could do it,” Tessa grinned proudly.  

“You got lucky,” Mel smirked.  

In truth, it felt amazing to hold the broom in his hand. He’d admired them at a distance for so long… It almost felt like he was dreaming.  

He then got to mount the broom finally. He moved onto the broomstick, following the professor’s instructions on how to sit on the stick and where to grip with his hands. From the second he took hold of the broom, he felt a control, a feeling of belonging like he’d never felt before. 

It took all of his willpower to not kick into a liftoff. He was so excited to finally get up in the air. He knew it was one step closer to his ultimate goal: Quidditch!  

He did notice though that the Flying professor didn’t feel the same excitement about being on, or being near the brooms. There was definitely a story there that he was intrigued to learn.  

 

Sources:
My Imagination/NPC Characters.
Flying Lesson Info, Memories from Harry Potter Movie #1.
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Flying_(class)

7: 7 - December Classes

Transfiguration: Transfiguration Research

Max sat at the table in the library with Tessa, Dan and Mel. They had a bunch of books open in front of them and they were ready to get to work. 

“Alright, speed research,” Max began, wanting to make this fun. He got out a bag of wizarding card boxes with chocolate frogs in them, and dumped them out in the middle of the table. “Whoever gets a question right gets one of these!” 

“Let’s do this!” Dan exclaimed with excitement. “What’s the first question?” 

“Alright,” Max grinned, happy that they all seemed into the idea. “What’s Transfiguration Today? Name an article from it.” 

The group flipped through their textbooks and then Tessa called out, “It’s a journal that talks about what’s happening in the world of transfiguration. An article from it is one that’s called ‘A Fiend Indeed a Fiend’ by Impedel. Isn’t that a hilarious title?” she laughed. 

“I love it!” Max grinned. “You get to ask the next question, and take a frog!” 

“What award does the journal give out to students?” Tessa asked, eating the frog and examining her wizard card. 

“I know that one!” Mel called. “Most Promising Newcomer.” She took a wizarding card box and asked the next question: Why do you think it’s important to keep up with this field, and how does that apply with what you want to be when you get older?” 

“I’m gonna be an Auror,” Max said confidently. “So it’s good to know all the changes in this area. There could be a new spell or transformation or something that is discovered or tested or tried, or one that fails and I have to stay away from doing, so it’s important to know that stuff… Plus, what if a dark wizard decides to do something as a transformed being or whatever? I would have to be able to know it and reverse it somehow probably.” 

The others all gave their answers on that question as well. Tessa wanted to be a reporter at the Daily Prophet, Daniel wanted to be a magizoologist or someone that works with animals, and Melissa wanted to work somewhere in Diagon Alley or Hogsmeade, being in the middle of all the hustle/bustle of the wizarding world. 

Mel asked the next question: “How many letters are in the transfiguration alphabet?” 

Dan blinked and asked, with some sense of dread in his voice, “There’s a transfiguration… alphabet?” He looked in his book and sighed. “Well dang, there is. Twenty-six letters. I don’t even know if I want to know what that extra letter is…” He took a box from the middle and got out the chocolate frog, not even looking at the wizarding card yet. “Name four facts about Minerva McGonagal.”

“Oh my! Dan!” Tessa exclaimed. “Look at your card! It’s Professor McGonagal!!” 

“That’s hilarious!” Dan reached for it and everyone laughed. “Okay who’s gonna tell us stuff about her?” 

“Well, not only did she teach Transfiguration,” Mel answered, “She was also an animagus. She often shows up as a cat, like the night they brought Harry to the Dursley’s.” Mel reached over and took two chocolate frog boxes for her answers. 

“She was also Head Girl,” Tessa added. “A Prefect, and she won the award we were talking about earlier from Transfiguration Today… She also had the best grades in her O.W.L.’s and her N.E.W.T.’s! High standards to live up to for sure!” 

“She was also really good at Quidditch,” Max said from memory, remembering from reading about her in Quidditch Through the Ages. “But in her last year she fell really bad because of a Slytherin foul. She got pretty hurt and it was because of this that she always wanted Slytherin to be defeated in the game! I had no idea that was why she was so excited at the games.” 

“The last fact about her is…” Dan studied the book and said, “Is that she worked in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement before she became a professor!” 

“Okay, the last thing is to find a transformation that you’re really interested in, and tell why you chose that one,” Tessa said. 

“Oh man,” Max blinked as he read through the transformation list. “There’s a spell that lets you actually turn a rock into a dog! How cool would that be!?” 

“Well, I don’t think there’s any better spell than that one!” Tessa giggled. 

“Looks like we’re done! Good job, everyone!” Max was proud at the work they’d done, and happy he had even learned more about the subject. Maybe he would grow to appreciate it after all! 

 

Sources:
My Imagination/NPC Characters: Dan, Tessa, Mel.
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Transfiguration_Today
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Transfiguration_alphabet
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Minerva_McGonagall
“Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone”

 

Potions: Ingredients Part 2

Flobberworm Mucus:
Description: Green, Slimy Substance

Potions Used In:
- Cure for Boils
- Herbicide Potion
- Sleeping Draught
- Wiggenweld Potion

Extra Details:
- Makes potion liquid thicker.
- Also known as “Flobber Mucus”.
- Sold at the Apothecary.
- It’s used to cover the beams in the roof on the attic in the Hogwarts Castle. 

 

Infusion of Wormwood:
Description: Green substance 

Potions Used In:
- Elixir to Induce Euphoria
- Vitamix Potion
- Draught of Living Death
- Shrinking Solution

Extra Facts:
- Comes from the Wormwood Plant.
- Infuse and shake to prepare. 

Dittany:

Description: Dark green stems, round leaves. Releases vapours that are flammable. 

Potions Used In:
- Wiggenweld Potion. 

Extra Facts:
- Can cure bites from werewolves when mixed with silver.
- Also known as “Burning Bush”.
- Can treat shallow to medium wounds.
- Can create skin over injured/bleeding skin. 

Wiggentree Bark:
Description: Brown wooden bark from the Wiggentree. 

Potions Used In:
- Wiggenweld Potion. 

Extra Details:
- Used when it has been recently stripped.
- When in contact with the plant, it can keep you safe from dark creatures. 

Moly:
Description: Black stem, black leaves with white flowers. 

Potions Used In:
- Wiggenweld Potion. 

Extra Details:
- When eaten, it can stop the effects of enchantments.

 

Sources:
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Flobberworm_Mucus
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Infusion_of_Wormwood
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Dittany
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Wiggentree_bark
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Moly

 

HOM: Amazing Albus Dumbledore

Albus, Albus, come let us
Hear a story of great Albus.
Born in August, that late summer month,
In the Mound-on-the-World,
In England the Great. 

With a father named Percival,
Who would know for sure
His past was filled with grief galore
Percival to Azkaban, who can imagine?
Kendra his mother, a muggle-born witch
Lost her control and burned rather quick

Dumbledore’s siblings, with their own gruesome tales
Aberforth was the firstborn son
Never knew his father when he was young
Owner of the famous Hog’s Head Inn
He was an Order of the Phoenix
In the beginning
He helped Harry and his friends
Escape Draco Malfoy
And lived in Hogsmeade
Tending his goats 

Ariana was the brother’s sister
The youngest child, they would always miss her
Attacked by Muggles as she practiced
Her father hurt the boys and got arrested
She lived forever hidden away
Always haunted by that day 

Albus accomplished many things
That could be mentioned here
The main one was his protection
Of the great Harry Potter
When no one else believed it true
He warned off the return of You-Know-Who

Grindelwald and Dumbledore united much
They both belonged to each other such
They wanted to have the Deathly Hollows
They agreed they had power, great and far
But their friendship didn’t last to the end 

Aberforth, the brother, confronted the two friends
Grindelwald attacked him, losing control
Albus defended, but it was too late
Arianna died, as Grindelwald ran away 

The First Wizarding War was indeed tragic
Albus hired Trelawney and a prophecy was told
One would have the power to kill the Dark Lord
Albus kept her safe, from the Death Eaters
The cursed vaults became a threat
And Albus insisted they didn’t exist
To keep his students away 

Loyal to the end was he
A mentor, guide and teacher
We should all be so lucky indeed
To know one like him in the future.

 

Sources:
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Albus_Dumbledore
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Percival_Dumbledore
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Kendra_Dumbledore
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Aberforth_Dumbledore
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Ariana_Dumbledore
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Albus_Dumbledore#Gellert_Grindelwald

 

Charms: It’s So Dark In Here

Max looked over at Tessa Elliot, who was sitting beside him, as par usual. She was wearing her Ravenclaw robes and she was a pure-blood, like him. That meant that she was just as eager to finally do magic as he was. Plus, they had been spending a lot of time together in the past four months, especially with learning the fastest ways around the castle. He always tried to partner up with her whenever he could. 

“I guess today we have to look at the Lumos spell,” Tessa said as she looked back at him with a grin. “We finally get to do some magic. Are you as thrilled as me?” 

“You bet I am! I think this one’s pretty basic, but we should look in the textbook anyway just to make sure we have it right. The effects of the spell are basically that a light will be shone at the end of our wands, so that we can see in the dark. What are two situations we can use it in?” 

“Well, one easiest solution is when you’re out in the middle of the dark… Like if you’re in the Forbidden Forest, for whatever reason, and you need to find your way back to the castle. The light from your wand would be able to show you the way back.” 

Max laughed at her and shook his head. “Yes, ‘cause we would never know why one would be in such a predicament, right?” He thought about it and then said, “Also, if you’re in a dark maze… and you have to find your way out, it’s a good way to look around and see where you’re going.” 

“Do you like mazes?” Tessa asked with curiosity. 

“I mean sure… and if you’re afraid you can always grab my hand and I promise I’ll keep you safe!” He knew he wouldn’t let anything happen to Tessa! 

“Oh, I bet you would keep me safe in any kind of dangerous situation. I’m really not a fan of the dark so… can we get our wands lit please?” She sounded rather eager to have light again. 

“Sure we can!” Max chuckled and then held out his wand in front of him. He took a deep breath and said the incantation, “Lumos!” He made sure to pronounce it “LOO-mos”, like the professor had instructed, and made the symbol of the omega sign with his wand. A white light shone from the end of his wand, and suddenly light appeared! That’s how he knew that the spell had worked. 

“You did it! On your first try!” Tessa exclaimed excitedly. “How does it feel to have done it so quickly? I’m so proud of you!” 

Max beamed, proud of himself too. He couldn’t believe he’d got it on his first attempt. “I guess it’s just because of the incantation… it’s so much easier to pronounce so that means I actually get it right the first time!” 

He watched then as Tessa produced her wand and tried the spell. She had a bit of difficulty with the symbol for the wand movement, so Max took her hand in his, and helped her with getting it just right. After they had done that for a few times, the light came from her wand too! 

“It’s really cool to read about all the uses of the spell, in history I mean,” Max added, when talking about things that they were learning about the spell and its uses and effects. “It has been used a LOT of times in the Forbidden Forest, which isn’t all that surprising… but it can also be used to light up the Mauarader’s Map. Man… wouldn’t it be awesome to have one of those maps? We could wander around the halls at night and see where everyone is. Then we’d know where not to go so we couldn’t get caught.” 

“Max….” Tessa rolled her eyes. “We shouldn’t be looking for ways to ‘get in trouble’…” 

“I’m not! I’m looking for ways to avoid it! This spell could be amazing for it! I’m not suggesting actually doing the trouble…” 

As Tessa and Max went up to the professor to have their wands extinguished before leaving, he knew that she probably didn’t believe him for a single second. 

 

Sources:
My Imagination/NPC Character. (Tessa)
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Wand-Lighting_Charm

 

DADA: Knock Knock, Who’s There? 

An imp is a magical creature that is classified as a Beast. They are rated XX, which means they are a pain but they can be tamed and domesticated. They are a mortal being that has the status of being Extant. 

Imps have grey skin and are about eight inches tall. They are the same height as a Pixie. They have yellow eyes and a bald head. 

Imps can be found in areas that are mostly damp, like marshes or swamps. They are mainly native to Ireland and Britain. They cannot fly and are definitely not colourful. When their babies are born, they are hatched in the full form that they will become. 

The best way to get rid of these highly annoying creatures is to throw back the crackers that it likes to throw at its victims, those being Wizard Crackers, or by using the Knockback Jinx. This spell will confuse it and the imp will slink back into their nearest hole or cage or hideaway. They are annoying creatures because their nature is to be highly well… impish. They enjoy throwing these Wizard Crackers at humans and also really enjoy humour that its mostly slapstick. They would also throw small objects towards humans, and would try to push or trip them as they passed by. 

It is definitely best to get rid of these annoying creatures as quickly as possible! 

 

Sources:
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Imp

 

Herbology: Moly

Max sat in the Room of Requirement with his three other friends; Tessa, Dan, and Melissa. They were all in pretty good spirits, but of course they would have rather been outside throwing snowballs at each other than inside studying about plants, but work came first. They would be running around in the snow soon enough. 

“Alright guys, the Moly plant. Let's get this done and over with," Max said tiredly. He hadn’t been sleeping lately at all, his nights full of nightmares. All he wanted to do was curl up in bed and take a nap. 

“You’re grumpy today,” Tessa observed. “Something wrong?” 

Max shook his head and looked at her tiredly. “I’m fine. Why is the Moly plant so special? What does it look like?" 

Tessa frowned and opened the textbook to answer. “The plant is really unique for a few different reasons. It has a black stem and black leaves… that’s pretty rare for any plant, and its flowers are all white. Kinda creepy looking, really.” 

“There are also two uses for the plant. Mel, you want to take this one?” Max asked, looking over at the Gryffindor. 

“Sure,” Mel nodded, looking in her book. “For one thing, they are really good to stop the effects of certain enchantments, if you eat them. They’re also used in potions. Specifically, the Wiggenweld Potion.” 

“What is the Wiggenweld Potion again? We just learned about it in another class, right?” Tessa asked, trying to remember. 

“Yeah, in writing our Potion Ingredient facts,” Dan nodded. “It’s a healing potion. Also a counter-charm to the Sleeping Draught.” 

Max looked over at Dan then and asked, “Don’t Muggles know about this plant too? You guys have uses for it as well, right?” 

“Yeah!” Dan said, then blinked. “I mean, it's a Greek Mythology, but I remember my parents telling me this story when I was a kid. There was this guy Odysseus, right? and he was this hero who killed a giant that had one eye. His name was Cyclops. Apparently he killed the giant with a bunch of sheep helping him!” 

“Wait, seriously? A bunch of sheep?” Mel blinked, looking at Dan. “Where does the Moly come in?” 

“I’m getting to that,” Dan said. “It’s a really long and complicated story but… I guess Odysseus uses the Moly to avoid the charm of the witch-goddess. Her name was Circe, and she was a dark witch. But since Moly counteracts enchantments well… That’s what he used.” 

“That’s… quite a story,” Tessa shook her head. “I guess we should read the whole thing sometime, huh Max?” 

But Max wasn’t listening anymore. He was already thinking of ways to use Moly if he were ever to come across a dark witch or wizard… specifically from a particular group of them that was run by his uncle… though the man was in Azkaban. But apparently there had been rumours that there was now a new leader… Max knew he would need all the Moly plants he could get. 

 

Sources:
My Imagination/NPC Characters (Tessa, Dan and Melissa)
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Moly
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Wiggenweld_Potion
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Odysseus

 

COMC: Habitat - The Forbidden Forest

Max looked around the Forest and grinned. He had always wanted to go into the forest, having grown up in Hogsmeade, but of course he hadn’t been allowed to go in. So now that they were actually allowed? Yeah, he was pretty excited! 

“Come on!” Tessa tugged on his hand. “Stop capturing the moment! We have worke to do!” 

Max laughed and followed her towards the others. Dan and Melissa were already way ahead of them. They made their way through the dense forest, following Dan and Mel. They had to find traces of a particular creature, but Max wasn’t really sure what they were looking for. 

“Over here!” Dan called after they’d searched for a while. “I found something!” 

Max, Mel and Tessa went towards Dan, looking at what he’d found. It was a strange piece of patterned material. It was brown in colour and reminded Max of something. 

“Is that from a tent?” He asked. “We usually sleep in these big tents when we go to Quidditch World Cup games. This is what the tents are made from.” 

“Oh yeah!” Mel took the piece of material from Dan. “I know this pattern! It’s from the Centaurs Camp! Their tents use this stuff!” 

“How on earth do you know that?” Tessa blinked at Mel. 

“My older brother Adam was accepted there by them. He offered them some random Mushroom and they liked him, letting him visit. He drew a picture of the camp one day to show me what it looks like. I remember this pattern!” 

“Maybe we should give this piece to Adam, so he can return it to them,” Max suggested. “Or… we could come back ourselves and try to find the camp! And see if one of us can get accepted into it too! How cool would that be, to hang out with Centaurs?” 

The four friends made plans to return to the forest as they made their way back to the class. 

 

Sources:
My Imagination/NPC Characters.
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Centaur_Camp

 

Flying: Lift-Off and Landing 

Dear Diary, 

Today was the best day of my life! I finally got to go up in the air on my broom! I stood in the row with Tessa, Mel and Dan. We were all pretty excited, but I think Dan was more nervous than any of us. He was a Muggle after all, so I think the idea of being up in the air scared him a little bit.  

I stood beside my broom and reached out my right hand over it, saying, “Up!” I remembered the instructions from our last class and the broom quickly flew up into my hand. I mounted it then and sat comfortably on the stick, gripping it at the front, with the broom tassels hanging out the back. 

In order to lift up, I just had to hold up the broom stick’s tip into the air. I pushed up off the ground and the broom quickly shot up into the sky. It was so easy for me to get up in the air that I had to control it a little more to stay in the air. My broom, like me, wanted to be up in the sky forever, never to come back down! 

I hovered around in the air a little bit, trying really hard to not go higher. All I wanted to do was fly around the Quidditch pitch, feeling the breeze and the control of moving around. I did what I was told though, and hovered in the air for a few minutes. But now I finally knew how to lift off into the air. I would definitely be back to practice by myself later! The hovering wasn’t hard… it was the not flying that was! 

Reluctantly, I pointed my broom down as was instructed in the lecture and headed back for the ground. This part was definitely the hardest and most difficult thing to do in the world. All I wanted to do was stay in the air, and far away from everything that was going on down on the ground. The nightmares, the fears, the letters from home… it was all telling me that something big was coming, and I wasn’t ready for it. I just hoped my father was… 

From the looks of it, Mel and Tessa did great with their lift offs and landings. They seemed to get it done pretty quickly, and did it just as they were told by the professor. Dan, though… he seemed to really struggle. He almost fell off a couple of times as he went up into the air, and as he came down he actually did fall off his broom! He was super scared to get back on the broom again. But I promised that I would help him get more confident with it between classes. He wasn’t hurt too badly, so hopefully I’ll be able to get him over this fear soon! 

 

Sources:
My Imagination/NPC Characters - Dan, Melissa and Tessa.
Information from last week and this week’s lectures.

8: 8 - January Classes

Transfiguration: The Transformation Formula

Dear Diary, 

Well, I’m back at Hogwarts after spending the Christmas holidays at home. My parents gave me and my sister the option of staying at the school ‘cause they’re so busy with working all the time. Brianne wanted to stay for some reason, but I convinced her to come home with me. I didn’t want to be away from all my friends, Tessa and Mel and then Dan who we could still meet up with in Hogsmeade, ‘cause he moved to stay with his wizard uncle. I really didn’t want to face my father though, especially since the last time I saw him was when he arrested Uncle Josiah at my birthday party! 

In order to avoid him, I spent most of the summer hanging out with my friends. We made a treehouse in Tessa’s backyard and we all hung out there to play gobstones, wizards chess, and yes… study. We spent a lot of time reviewing last term’s lessons, especially from Transfiguration class for me. That was one I had the most difficulty with, and a couple of others. The only time I really had to deal with Dad was on Christmas Day… I won’t go on and on about it now but needless to say, I tried to do some investigating about why Josiah was arrested. It didn’t go very well, but that’s my mission now. The Daily Prophet says that it’s all just a bunch of really bad charges that are terrible and unforgivable curses, but they don’t give any specifics of course. I’m going to figure it out though. 

When we had to research the formula for class this month, the four of us headed to the library and sat in our usual spot in the back corner. There were a bunch of comfy chairs there that we had ‘claimed ‘as ours. 

We took turns discussing what the formula meant, and what each of the letters represented. Dan and I were both a little nervous about it because neither of us are good at math and it seemed too much like our days of algebra from our studies before Hogwarts. The girls, though, insisted that they would help us along the way. 

First we had to write out what the formula was, so we copied it from the board: 

T=((w x c) / (a x v)) x z

As we went around the group, looking in the books in the library, we discovered what each letter represented: T = transformation, w= wand power, c = concentration, a = bodyweight (for some reason… I wondered why the letter wasn’t ‘b’ but no one could answer me), v = viciousness and z = unknown variable. 

I honestly am still pretty confused when it comes to this topic of the formula itself. I understand it’s important and all, and I even get that each letter represents something that really affects the transfiguration, but the math part will probably just continue to confuse me. I guess I just have to study more!

 

Sources:
My Imagination and NpCs: Parents, Brianne, Dan, Tessa and Mel
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Transfiguration_(class)

 

Potions: Let’s Get Mixing

Max waited as the professor gave instructions for the class. He couldn’t wait to brew his first potion! He had no issues with following instructions, especially if all the ingredients were there and ready for him to use. He went over the list anyway, just to make sure everything was there, and then got to work. 

Max took six of the snake fangs and ground them all up until it was a very thin powder. He put four measures of the crushed up stuff and put it into the cauldron. He let the cauldron heat up the stuff inside it to a temperature of two-hundred-and-fifty. After about ten seconds he waved his wand over the cauldron. 

“I guess we have about half an hour to wait,” Daniel the Hufflepuff said. The group of four friends were all sitting next to each other, as usual. 

“Max, did you find anything out about your uncle over the holidays?” Melissa the Gryffindor asked. 

“Yeah, did you find anything in the attic after I left that last day before school?” Tessa the Ravenclaw put in. 

“Actually I did, yeah…” Max had been looking for the perfect time to show them what he’d discovered. He pulled out the coin holder in his satchel - one that was separate from all his other galleons, sickles and knuts. He placed the coin on the table in the middle of them all. “I found this hidden inside a Quidditch trophy… from when Dad and his brother were at Hogwarts.” On the silver coin  was a lion fighting a snake with an “L” in the middle of it. 

“Wow, a lion and a snake? Gryffindor fighting Slytherin?” Tessa asked as she studied the coin. 

“I thought that too, but turn it over,” Max instructed. 

As Tessa did so, there was the same “L” in the middle of the other side of the coin. But here it showed a badger and an eagle fighting. “Okay, that’s just creepy,” Tessa shivered and handed the coin over to show Melissa.

“At first I thought it meant my father and uncle’s houses fighting…” Max summarized as Mel looked at the coin. “Dad was a Lion and Uncle Josiah was a Snake… apparently in more ways than one, considering he was arrested and sent to Azkaban.” 

“Yeah, but why have a coin about it?” Dan asked, handing the coin back to Max after Mel had given it to him to study. “And if it’s all four houses fighting, then…” 

“It’s gotta be something bigger,” Mel agreed. “Was there a House War or something?” 

“No idea,” Max shrugged. “Maybe we should look at the ‘L’ too. What does that stand for?” He put the coin away safely into his satchel again and said, “Let’s play a couple games of Gobstones while we wait the last few minutes for the potions…” 

After the thirty minutes were up, the friends went back to their cauldrons. It was safe to say that boils were the last thing on their minds! 

Max added four horned slugs, took the cauldron off the heat - this part was very important - and added two porcupine quills into the cauldron. He stirred clockwise for five rotations and then waved his wand to finish. When the potion was done, the liquid was the blue colour it was supposed to be. The only thing he needed help with from Professor Bennett was to lift the cauldron from the heat. It was pretty heavy and he was only eleven! 

Also, before leaving the classroom, he left a note on the professor’s desk, asking if they could talk in his office soon. Maybe one of his professors could tell him something about the mysterious coin he’d found. 

 

Sources:
My Imagination and NPCs. (Dan, Mel and Tessa, and NPC Family)
?https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Cure_for_Boils

 

HOM: Noble Newt Scamader

Newt Scamander was a famous wizard that lived in 1897. He was about six feet tall, had brown hair and hazel eyes. His boggart, amusingly, was a plain old office desk! He feared working in an office the most of all! He loved being outside and being with magical creatures, so he worked as a Magizoologist. 

One of his biggest accomplishments was actually writing the main textbook for Care of Magical Creatures. The book was called “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them”. He had been commissioned to write the book, and earned a significant pay raise for his work. It also meant that he could travel around the world in the summer months. 

Another accomplishment of Scamander’s is that he was one of the main wizards that had been chasing down the evil wizard, Gellert Grindelwald, during the Global Wizarding War. He saved many of his loved ones during the war from Grindelwald. He did many great things, and survived at least two meetings with Grindelwald himself.

One of the many creatures he worked with that stands out is his niffler. The little animal had been used in a bank robbery incident in New York, but Newt apprehended him and shook the goods from him. The niffler quickly became a companion that stayed with him. He had several of the little guys, in fact! 

As earlier mentioned, Newt was deeply involved with the rise and fall of Grindelwald. Gellert knew that Albus Dumbledore had expelled Newt and met with the ex-Hufflepuff, disguised as someone else. The two grew to quickly dislike each other and even duelled, and Newt was seriously tortured. It could also be believed that Newt’s approval from Albus made Grindelwald jealous, fuelling his danger in the war. When the dark wizard fell, Newt was among the many involved in taking him down, especially because he killed Newt’s lover, Leta. 

If I owned a suitcase with two magical creatures like Newt, one of them would definitely be a Niffler. They are adorable and also useful for treasure hunts! 

The other creature would have to be a Puffskein. I’ve always thought they were cute and cuddly creatures too!

Newt Scamander had a large impact on the wizarding world, especially in the way that we treat and respect animals. The world would be a different place had he not existed. 

 

Sources:
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Newton_Scamander

 

Charms: Put That Light Out! 

Max walked into the dark classroom with Tessa at his side. She gripped his arm tightly as they listened to the professor’s instructions. Max had no issues with being in the dark, but as soon as they were excused to get to work, Max lit up his wand with saying “Lumos”. He made a shape of the Omega symbol with his wand and a white light appeared from it. It was much easier to do this spell now, having practiced it for the past month on his own. 

“Alright, are you ready?” He asked Tessa, who had lit her wand beside him. “Nox is gonna turn out the light on your wand.” 

“I guess that is useful,” Tessa thought out loud. “Especially if we’re playing hide and seek, and you don’t want to be seen once you found a hiding spot.” 

“Yeah for sure,” Max agreed. “Or if you were using Lumos at night to read in bed, and had to quickly turn off the light from your wand, so you don’t get caught…” he winked at her.

“What? I would do no such thing!” Tessa acted offended, but then they both laughed, because they knew she totally would. 

“Alright, I’ll do mine first.” Max moved his wand in a wave-shape and called out, “Nox!” The light still shone brightly, and he tried again, focusing on the wand movement. It was actually more fun drawing the symbol in the dark with his light! The second time, his wand went out and the light disappeared. 

Tessa nervously tried to extinguish hers, but it took her a few more times to make the wand light go out. 

“Well, I guess we did the spell right,” Max said. “Everything’s dark again. Feels good, right? Knowing you can control light like that?” 

“Yeah, I guess. I just have to be more confident,” Tessa sighed. “Maybe it’s ‘cause I’m more drawn to the light… that’s why it didn’t go out fast like yours did.” 

“I do like the dark more. It’s mysterious… like my family, I guess. So many secrets about my uncle in Azkaban. I hope I don’t end up there too…” Max frowned, pondering that sobering thought for the rest of the day. 

 

Sources:
My Imagination/NPC Characters.
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Wand-Lighting_Charm
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Wand-Extinguishing_Charm

 

DADA: Light In the Dark 

Dear Diary, 

Today in class we talked about the silhouette that the professor had shown us. It was actually the Hand of Glory. I remembered seeing it in Knockturn Alley once actually. My uncle Josiah and I had gone shopping one day and I remember seeing it in the window. It was really cool looking so I had to go in and take a closer look at it. It’s in the shape of a hand, opening a palm up to the person holding it. It’s all black in colour and it looked like it was made with clay, but I’m honestly not sure. 

We found it in Borgin and Burkes, a store in Knockturn Alley. Uncle Josiah told me that the light was able to see through Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder. That means that if someone wanted to do a spell that would turn out lights, the Hand of Glory could shine through it for the person who is holding it. 

When Uncle Josiah and I went back to the Leaky Cauldron to meet Brianne and my mom, he said that Draco Malfoy once had it and he used it when he was getting out of the Room of Requirement. He used that darkness powder to escape with the death eaters after the whole assassination of Dumbledore incident went the way it did. I couldn’t believe that a student would actually try to kill the headmaster, but that was what happened! 

I remember that my uncle told me about how the hand, according to lore, could make anyone who looked at the hand be frozen on the spot. It could also apparently unlock whatever door it came across. It could also freeze guards so that they couldn’t do anything as one walked through the door. 

Those were good times… asking my uncle all about Knockturn Alley, learning all about dark magic and dark wizards and such… I mean I’m not saying that I want to pursue that road or anything it’s just… I miss him. I still have no clue what he did to get arrested either. I’m going to figure it out though. Sooner or later. I couldn’t find any information over the holidays, but I will figure it out… someday… Even if my dad didn’t want to tell me anything about it over the Christmas holidays. 

Anyway, until next time Diary, I will keep you posted! 

Max. 

 

Sources:
My Imagination/NPC Family.
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Hand_of_Glory

 

Herbology: Dittany

Max was sitting at his desk in Herbology class beside Tessa, Dan and Melissa. They were working together as usual and today’s subject was Dittany. There was a plant in front of each of them and they had a few questions they had to answer. 

“Alright guys, let’s go above and beyond… let’s describe what the plant looks like. Who wants to answer that one?” Tessa the Ravenclaw asked, looking around the small group.

“I’ll go,” Melissa the Slytherin said. “It’s green,” she said simply. “Okay, dark green… the stem and the leaves are both dark green in colour and there aren’t really any flowers on it. The petals are a round shape.” 

“That’ll work,” Tessa chuckled. “Next question asks three uses of Dittany. Max?” 

“It’s used in potions, it’s a healing plant that’s used by healers… like my mom at St. Mungo’s…. And it also is used as a wand core.” 

“What potion is it used in?” Tessa asked. 

“It’s used in the Wiggenweld Potion,” Dan said. “Also did you know that if you mix it with silver it can actually save someone from being turned into a werewolf after they’ve been bitten?” 

“Man, it’s a super useful plant,” Max reflected. “Maybe we should always have some with us at all times… It’s also called the Burning Bush sometimes. There are these vapours that the plant can release and they can actually burn things. How cool is that?” 

“That’s really awesome!” Melissa agreed. “But what’s the difference between the plant and the… ‘essence’? I mean… wouldn’t it be pretty much the same thing?” 

“Actually no,” Tessa replied. “The essence of Dittany is applied onto the area that is wounded, so that it can heal the injury. But the plant itself can actually be, like, swallowed and eaten to heal those wounds that are lighter to medium level strength. I think that’s what the professor means by that question…” 

“I think so too. Oh and we almost forgot…” Max added. “You know those annoying doxies that we just… love? Well, if you get bit by one the Dittany plant can be used to heal that too!” 

“Alright so definitely have a bunch of Dittany on you at all times,” Melissa agreed. 

“I wonder if the professor will let us take some home,” Dan said. 

“Let’s go find out,” Max grinned as they finished writing up their homework and took it to the front of the greenhouse. 

 

Sources:
My Imagination/NPC Characters. (Dan, Melissa, Tessa)
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Dittany

 

COMC: Smart Rats

*Fact Sheet* 

Three Interesting Facts:
Mostly live in barnyards or peoples’ homes.
Most common species of rats is the “Norway Rat”.
Useful for “Myomancy”, which is an area of Divination that apparently uses mice or rats to tell the future. 

Parts of Rats Used in Potions:
The Rat’s Spleen and Tail are used in many potions as a popular ingredient. Specifically, they are helpful in the Shrinking Solution, though there are many others. 

Rats as Pets:
Pros: Rats are very loyal animals, and are clever in their own way. They can be cute and cuddly, like Ronald Weezely’s rat
Cons: They do not live very long. They seem to be more useful dead, like in potions or feeding dragons. They can easily get lost and not be found again. 

 

Sources:
Knowledge of Harry Potter Series.
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Rat
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Myomancy

 

Flying: Finding Your Balance

Max was ecstatic. FINALLY, he would get to fly in the air and actually practice his balance and skills on the broom! He really wasn’t sure if he could be more excited than he was right now. He looked over at his friends and grinned. “Let’s get to work, boys!” he exclaimed to them. 

The teams were boys against girls, which seemed to be what they all wanted. That didn’t matter so much to Max, he was just excited to play. The boys hovered for a while, watching where the girls were sitting on their brooms, trying to figure out a strategy. Max leaned over to Dan and said, “Let’s go after Melissa and Tessa… see who can get the other two out first. Then we can brag about it every time we study if we win!” 

“You mean, when we win?” Dan asked, gripping his broom tightly. He was still pretty nervous about being on the broom, but at least he had been practicing with Max for the past month, and his confidence was growing a little bit. “It’s a good thing we learned how to balance on our brooms though, right?” he smiled. “It’s kind of like being on a horse. You have to keep your balance or well, you’ll fall off.” 

“I know, right? Balance is definitely really important in flying. I mean… for one thing it helps when you can move around quickly but stay balanced at the same time,” he said, but then just as he finished speaking, hes aw a ball flying towards his head, and dodged to the right to avoid it. “See? If I wasn’t balancing, well… I’d have fallen off!” 

Nathan, a Gryffindor, flew over towards them and asked, “Hey, want to gang up on Melissa? She’s been a pain in the butt all month, showing off and acting like she knows everything… rubbing in my face that she has more house points…” 

“I’m good with that,” Max nodded. “It feels like she keeps acting like she knows something about my family, but she’s not telling me what. It’s getting really annoying.” He threw one of the balls over towards Melissa, and found it pretty easy to do now that he was practicing his balance. He gripped his broom with his left hand, making sure that he didn’t lean one way or the other. Staying upright was definitely the secret for staying on his broom! It was a good thing, too, and he was happy to see Mel looking somewhat shocked at the ball, but she avoided it. 

Dan, attempted to throw another ball over at Melissa, but Tessa caught the ball and flew it back towards the boys. Unfortunately for Dan, he got hit by the ball and was out of the game pretty quickly. 

They threw the ball back and forth for a while, with various people getting out of the game. Max did pretty well throwing the balls and evading them by dodging to the side quickly. He evaded them by watching the girls closely and anticipating their next move. Melissa caught onto the fact that Nathan had joined him in going against her, and she and Tessa did their best to come back at the boys. Max never actually was able to catch a ball, but he would definitely be practicing this throughout the month! He let Nathan catch the balls near him, since he seemed to be better at it. 

In the end, the boys won the game. Dan joined in the victory circle as the boys cheered and threw up their brooms in the air, but then caught it. The girls were clearly upset by their loss, and Max had a feeling that the feud between the boys and the girls had only just begun. 

 

Sources:
My Imagination/NPC Characters. 

9: 9 - February Classes

Transfiguration: Match to Needle

Max walked into class feeling extremely nervous and on edge. Magical theory he could handle. History, creatures, plants, even charms and curses he understood. Turning something into something else still completely baffled him. The rest of his group of friends seemed fine with it but he wasn’t so sure. 

When the professor asked about the transformation formula, Max remembered the letters in it but he had no idea how the math was supposed to make sense. He understood the different parts that made the spells work but how the math worked… that was another question. But he looked anywhere other than at the professor’s eyes so that she wouldn’t ask him to answer the question. 

Max got ready to do the spell for the Match to Needle, but his hand was still shaking nervously. Tessa put a hand on his shoulder and said, “Come on, Max. You’ll be fine. Just do it like me…” Tessa did the spell and the match became a needle without any issue. 

“You make it look so easy…” Max rolled his eyes. 

“Just do the same movement and incantation,” Tessa said. “I believe in you.” 

Max tried to do the spell but he struggled with it. He got even more discouraged as he saw his classmates turning their matches into needles. His own match just wouldn’t change. He knew he needed to get some more practice done but it just was so difficult. Maybe he would get better with time… 

 

Sources:
My Imagination and NPCs.
Information from lecture.

 

Potions: Danger, Danger

Mixing potions can be a very exciting activity, and it is a very useful course to pursue - especially if you are thinking about continuing in higher education. There are, however, many significant risks involved in making the potions as well. It is important to understand these dangers so that you can avoid having anything disasterous happen. 

Ingredients are an important aspect to making potions. In class, these items are provided for you and it can be trusted that the professor has given you the right items. However, knowing each of these items is important too. They all have their own risks involved if they are even inserted into the cauldron the wrong way. It could seriously affect the outcome of the potion! 

Recipes are the next important part of making potions. One must be very careful to follow the directions carefully and precisely. Any variation to these steps could lead to ingredients not working as they are supposed to. For instance, with the Cure for Boils potion, you have to take the cauldron from the heat before you put the porcupine quills into the mixture, otherwise the result of the potion could be different! 

One potion that is particularly dangerous is the Polyjuice Potion. This potion actually lets you change completely, and look exactly like another person. This could be highly dangerous because any part of your body might not transform the right way. For example, when Hermione Granger tried this potion in “Chamber of Secrets”, she somehow gained a tail and cat ears and didn’t join the others as they went into the Slytherin common room. 

Another dangerous potion would be the Exploding Potion. As imagined, this spell can make things blow up. The obvious ramifications of this is that an innocent bystander might get hurt or killed in the explosion. 

The Love Potion is also dangerous because it temporarily makes the drinker fall in love with the person who gave the potion. This is a dangerous spell because it messes with human emotions. The drinker could do anything to respond with affection, without necessarily being able to control it. This could lead to embarrassment for either the drinker, or the one who gave the potion. 

As stated therefore, several things could go wrong if potions are done without careful consideration for both the risks or and the dangers of either the ingredients or the potion itself. One could grow or lose body parts, become seriously injured or even killed, or they could have their emotions or personalities changed. It is very important to understand both the benefits and the potential dangers of each potion created. 

 

Sources:
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Cure_for_Boils
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Polyjuice_Potion
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/List_of_potions
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Love_potion

 

HOM: Great Gellert Grindelwald

Dear Diary, 

My name is Herman Ventas and I am one hundred and fifteen years old. I went to Durmstrang Institute with one of the most dangerous wizards of our time: Gellert Grindelwald. The year now is 1998. It is March, and the dark wizard finally got what he deserved: he is dead. 

Since graduating from Durmstrang I have become a freelance journalist in the Highlands of Scotland. The vast beauty, the people, and yes even the bagpipes, are what brought me here. 

But enough about me. This is truly a remarkable day. There have been rumours, of course, that Grindelwald and Dumbledore were lovers. Personally, I do not believe it. Yes, opposites do attract, but how can two men… Men!... Be so different and yet find love with each other? One man who was absolutely good, and the other who was the definition of evil… I just don’t see how there could be anything other than hatred between them. 

Grindelwald had a very famous wand called the Elder Wand, did you know? He had become fascinated with the Deathly Hallows and discovered where the Elder Wand was. You know it was a very powerful wand, the first Hallow that had been made. Legend has it that if you combined the wand with the two other Hallows, you could conquer death! Imagine! 

Anyway, this powerful wizard named Gregorovitch was trying to create a copy of the wand. Smart, right? Well, Grindelwald broke into his workshop and waited for the guy. He stunned the man when he came in, took the wand and became master of the wand! 

I must say… now that the man is dead, I will be able to sleep peacefully again. When we were at school together, I heard about all the tricks he would “play” with our classmates. It was truthfully awful, the things he did. One of my dear friends was almost killed by him! This made a big impact on my life. I wanted to become a journalist so that I could write about these dark wizards, and hopefully provide information about them, even in their younger years, that could save lives. Information is power, after all, and maybe I could prevent dark wizards from rising up in the future. 

Well, I thank you for listening to my tale of Gellert Grindelwald. I hope that you have learned much, and that we will be able to learn from men like this… Otherwise, history is doomed to repeat itself… 

Sincerely, Herman. 

 

Sources:
My Imagination.
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Gellert_Grindelwald

 

Charms: An Amazing Creator! 

Levina Monkstanley was a well-known inventor of charms, and she also worked at the Ministry of Magic. Her work has had a lasting impact on the wizarding world. 

She was born in Britain in 1772. She invented the two most-used spells that are used by experienced and new wizards and witches alike: Lumos and Nox. The Lumos spell creates a white light at the end of the wand, acting like a flashlight. Its incantation is “Lumos”. Then she invited the Wand-extinguishing charm. The incantation for this spell is to say “Nox” and the effect is that it puts out the light at the end of your wand that had been created by the Lumos spell. 

One day, Levina was working at the Ministry of Magic, as an Unspeakable for the Department of Mysteries in the Ministry of Magic in Britain. She was looking around for a quill that she had dropped in a corner that was very dirty and dusty. All of a sudden, she used the wand-lighting spell to find the quill! Her co-workers were absolutely amazed! 

The Wand-Lighting charm was created in the eighteenth century. She created the spell, as earlier stated, to find a quill in the dusty corner of her office at the Ministry of Magic. The Wand-Extinguishing charm was also created in the eighteenth century, around the time that she had invented the Wand-Lighting charm. It was likely a good thing that she created these two spells at about the same time, or else her wand might have stayed lit for a very long time! Since she worked in the Department of Mysteries, this would have been a very bad thing because she would have often had to remain hidden while doing her work, and a lit wand would make this very difficult! 

If Levina didn’t invent these two spells, it would be very well assumed that someone would have invented it eventually. In fact, Garvin Lügner claimed that he actually was the one who made up the spell when he was creating an Instant Darkness Powder. However, it came to pass that he had not in fact created the spell, and the powder only made the light dimmer instead of completely extinguished like the spell had. However, if Levina’s spells had not been created at all, one could guess that wizards and witches would have continued to try and invent a spell that would light and extinguish out their wands. Considering the fact that flashlights (which use electricity) would not have worked around wizards, they would have had to discover something that would help them through the darkness that so often surrounded them. 

Fortunately, however, the two spells of Lumos and Nox were created, and Levina Monkstanley will go down in history as one of the most significant inventors in the wizardring world. 
 

Sources:
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Levina_Monkstanley
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Wand-Extinguishing_Charm
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Wand-Lighting_Charm

 

DADA: Dogs and Crackers

Max headed to the library to research Gytrash for Dark Arts. He knew what he wanted to look up already, and he was looking forward to learning more about the animal. While he was there, he decided to continue looking for information on the coin that he had found with the logo on it with the four animals. He found himself in the darker section of the library when all of a sudden someone came up behind him and cleared his throat. 

“What are you doing in the restricted section?” Wesley Elliot asked. He was a Slytherin, like himself, but he was a year older. He was also Tessa’s brother. 

“I was looking up a particular dark creature,” Max said, trying to stay focused on the textbook in his hands. “The Gytrash… Have you heard about them?” 

“No, I haven’t. Maybe you should tell me about it after you explain why you have that particular yearbook in your hand too?” 

Max shrugged and moved over to the table nearby and sat down, putting both the yearbook and the textbook down in front of him. “So did you know that the Gytrash has black eyes and white skin colour? It’s actually the spirit of a dog and it’s got this tail that looks forked. Cool, huh?” Max pointed to the picture of the dog-spirit on the page. “It’s got white hair too… like most spirit animals, I guess.” 

“Yeah, that’s great,” Wes said dismissively. “That book though. My father’s in that book.” 

“So’s mine,” Max said simply and then looked further in the book about the Gytrash. “The Gytrash usually lives in the woodlands… here in Great Britain. I wonder if there are any of them in the Forbidden Forest? It would be cool to see one.” 

“You’re avoiding the question,” Wes pointed out. 

“Maybe because I don’t want to answer you?” Max asked, looking up at him and then back down at the book. “They’re related to dogs too, which makes sense ‘cause they look like them… They’re actually really scared of light. Also red sparks. They kinda back off when they see those.” 

“Max, seriously. What gives?” Wes pushed, leaning back against the table, folding his arms across his chest. “I’ve been hearing you’re poking around asking about a coin or something. You want to fill me in?”

“Not really,” Max shook his head. “Besides, all I’m doing is asking. I don’t even know what any of it means yet. I was hoping maybe the yearbook would help me.” 

“Can I see the coin?” Wes asked, stepping closer to him. 

“Nope,” Max said firmly. “Did you know that Gytrashes can either be found by themselves or in groups? And it actually does say here that they’re in the Forbidden Forest! How cool is that? They’re also in the New Forest somewhere in England. I don’t know where that is though… never been there. Oh and get this…” 

“Max,” Wes said firmly, pushing his fist against Max’s shoulder. Not hard, but enough that he got the point. “Show me the coin.” 

“No,” Max shook his head, standing. “I’m going to go and sign this book out. Apparently they are able to resist the Verdimillious Charm and the Fire-Making spell. I’m thinking that would be helpful, huh?” 

“This isn’t over,” Wes said, shoving Max as he made his way for the door, tucking the yearbook into his satchel bag. 

Max tried his best to hide the fact that he was actually scared of what Wes might do, in order to get the coin from him. At least he’d gotten his homework done though. He headed to the Great Hall where he hoped he would meet up with Tessa and the others to tell them what happened. 

 

Sources:
My Imagination/NPC Characters. (Wes, Family, Tessa, etc.)
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Gytrash

 

Herbology: Nettles

Dear Diary, 

Today in class we talked about Nettles. I got out my textbook and worked on my own because I figured it would be a pretty easy assignment today. Nettles are also called “Urtica diocia” or “Burn hazel”. The plant has these names because apparently it has hairs on its leaves that sting you! 

The Nettle plant is used in the Cure for Boils potion, that is when it’s dried. Nettles also, though, are used in tea and wine. They can also be made into a soup. I think I’m going to have to ask my mom to make me some soup when I go home for the summer holidays. She is a healer at St. Mungo’s and she has a huge greenhouse at home where she keeps herbs for potions and such. I’m sure she has some Nettles in her collection! I should really go owl her and tell her all about the lesson! 

Anyway, until next time, diary! 

Max. 
 

Sources:
My Imagination/NPC Mother.
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Nettle

 

COMC: Kitty Cat 

“They’re so cute!” Tessa exclaimed as she and Melissa ran into the caged area. 

Max hung back with Dan, who looked less excited to meet the magical creatures. Max himself was rather impartial about the whole thing. They looked too similar to cats, in his opinion. He was looking forward to meeting creatures like Hippogriffs and Unicorns. Not simply magical cats. 

Regardless, this was better than being in a classroom writing notes. “Come on, Dan. I’ll find you a half-kneazle to play with.” 

“How can you tell if it’s a half-breed?” Dan asked curiously as they walked into the gated area. 

Instantly, the kneazles surrounded the boys and rubbed up against their legs. 

“See this one here?” Max reached down to pick up the half-breed. “He looks more like a lion, doesn’t he? See its pointy ears? And it has a bigger tail too.” 

“Yeah… his eyes look like they’re bigger too, right?” Dan asked. 

“Definitely,” Max nodded. The kneazle had copper fur with patches of gold, and it was looking up with big, blue eyes, expecting to be entertained. 

“They’re good at solving problems too,” Max told Dan. “Watch this.” 

He found three little balls, two that were red and one that was blue. He held the blue one in front of the half-Kneazle, letting him study it longer. “Okay, you take one ball and I’ll take two,” Max suggested. “We’ll pass the balls behind our backs then hold out our hands for him. We’ll see if he can find the blue one!” 

They played this game for most of the hour, changing the colours of the balls they were using as they went. The half-kneazle was a little suspicious around Dan at first, but then Dan was suspicious of the creature too. 

“What’s his problem?” Dan complained. “Why doesn’t he like me?” 

“It’s ‘cause you’re Muggle-born,” Melissa pointed out as the girls came over. 

“But what’s that got to do with anything? And how do they know where I come from?” Dan asked nervously. 

“They probably just sense you’re nervous around them,” Max explained, giving Melissa a glare. “I’m sure it’s like with horses… they’re cautious at first, and it takes time to grow a connection.” 

“Like with my wand, and how it hates me,” Dan muttered. 

“You just need practice,” Tessa answered. “I think they’re adorable. Don’t you think they would make good pets, Max?” 

“Definitely!” Max nodded. “They’d be great house guards too. I don’t think my husky, Kito, would appreciate being replaced though!” 
 

Sources:
My Imagination/NPCs.
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Kneazle

 

Flying: Speed Control & Fast Laps

Dear Diary, 

Today in Flying class we learned how to control our speeds on the broom while up in the air. It was a lot of fun learning how to adjust the speed. I started out going really slow, pulling my body back on the broom and not trying to race anyone, just trying to feel the slow speed on my broom. Then I slowly moved forward to make the broom go faster, but it was difficult to avoid going too fast. All I wanted to do was race and go at lightning speed, but I had to control my body a bit better than that. It was a bit easier when I wanted to go really fast because I just leaned all the way forward on my broom and the speed was increased a LOT. I was starting to think that maybe mind control had something to do with how the speed went on a broom! It was definitely interesting being able to control the speed just by moving my body. The hardest part was maintaining the speed at a steady pace. 

The relay race was pretty fun. We had to race towards the next person in the line along the pitch, then let them go to the next person, then them go to the next person. It was tricky because we had to learn how to go fast and beat the other teams, but then brake so the next person could go. In my team we had me, Tessa the Ravenclaw, Daniel the Hufflepuff and Melissa the Gryffindor. It was all going fine until we got to my turn. For some reason my broom just wouldn’t stop! I was the last person, and I landed up flying all around the pitch! I have no idea why this happened, but I have a feeling it was probably because I just didn’t want to stop flying! And I had learned how to go fast so well that I well… didn’t want to slow down. 

In the end, we definitely didn’t win the race and everyone kind of laughed at us… Well, me more than anyone else. I truly have no idea what went wrong, but I guess I have to work on my braking! 

Sources:
My Imagination/NPCs. (Tessa, Dan, Mel)
Information from the Lesson.

10: 10 - March Classes

Transfiguration: Mice to Snuffboxes

Dear Mom, 

Hey Mom, it’s me, Max! I have to write a letter in class to someone today, and I have been thinking about you a lot, especially because we’ve been learning so many cool plants in Herbology class. But this letter is actually about Transfiguration… and some other things I want to ask you about. I’m nervous to ask dad, so I thought that maybe I would talk to you about it first. 

Anyway, class first. Last week was terrible. Really, it was. I mean… the first few lectures were hard enough because they involved math and theory and stuff, right? But now that we’re actually transforming things… It’s even harder. Last week I wasn’t even able to turn the match into a needle. Not that I know why one would want to. I would think turning a needle into a match would be more useful, but that’s just me! 

Today we had to transform mice… that were moving. As if changing a still object wasn’t hard enough?! The track was already set up for the mice and I’m pretty sure that some house elves in the kitchen were involved in acquiring the mice. Regardless, I wasn’t part of the group that set up the trap. I try and stay as far away from the transfiguration corridor as much as possible! Either way… transforming mice just felt… wrong. As the COMC assistant teacher I really didn’t want to harm the animals in any way, but Tessa promised that it wouldn’t hurt the mice. Much. 

I watched the mice run around the maze thing a few times, just watched it. I couldn’t seem to pull out my wand to do the spell! I don’t know, I just couldn’t do it. But I did eventually try… I took out my wand and did the incantation and pointed at one of the mice, but the mouse was sneaky and ran away before I could succeed. I was kind of relieved, to be honest. 

The other classmates seemed to have no problem turning the mice into snuff boxes. When they had actually managed to do it, there was a blue light that appeared before the mouse was transformed completely. Tessa even was able to do her transformation on her third or fourth try! 

I tried it again, because I felt guilty for not doing the assignment properly. But when the blue light appeared and the transformation happened, I… the snuffbox actually had whiskers! Can you believe it? I had a feeling that wasn’t really what the finished result was supposed to look like… 

Anyway, there’s something I’ve been wanting to ask you. I found this coin when I was digging around the attic at home, when I was there for the holidays, right? It had an L on both sides and then each of the animals of each house were fighting each other. Do you have any idea what it means? I’m scared to ask Dad because I have a feeling he won’t tell me, but I’ve just been really curious about why Uncle Josiah was arrested. I mean come on, it happened on my birthday last summer and NO ONE can tell me why? That was the most important day of my life, when I got my letter to Hogwarts and… I know absolutely nothing about why it was ruined. Also… Wesley seems to think that he deserves the right to see the coin. He said because his and Tessa’s dad was in the same year as my dad and uncle… I just… I have a lot of questions, and I think that it’s time someone started answering them. I don’t mean to be a brat about this but… it’s only fair, right? 

Anyway, I love you regardless, and I just… I want to know what’s going on. Please send me an owl back as soon as you can. 

Love Max. 

PS
Can you please send some Nettle soup? We learned about it last month and I really want to try some! 

PPS
How’s my sister Chloe? Give her a big hug for me!  

 

Sources:
My Imagination/NPC Characters. (Wesley, Mom, Josiah, Dad, Tessa, Chloe)
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Mice_to_Snuffboxes

 

Potions: What did I Say?

Max sat in class listening to the professor talk about the forgetfulness potion. He had a feeling this potion would be useful. There were a few things that he would be more than happy to forget. 

“What’s wrong, Max? Did you hear from your mom?” Tessa asked, looking at him with concern. 

“Yeah, I did,” Max winced at the reminder. “I’ll tell you about it when we wait for the brew to happen. It should be helpful though… maybe it’ll help me forget what she wrote…” 

Turning his focus back on the task at hand, Max made sure that all of the ingredients were there. When he was ready, he put two drops of the Lethe River Water into his cauldron and heated it for twenty seconds. He then added two of the Valerian Sprigs into the cauldron and stirred clockwise for three times. He waved his wand over the cauldron and then his three friends turned around to face him since they now had to wait for about forty-five minutes. 

“So come on, what did your mom say in the letter?” Tessa asked him. 

“She wrote you back already?” Daniel asked with surprise. “Did she know anything about the coin?” 

“I think so, yeah, but she won’t tell me what it means. She said she would explain it when I’m older, but right now I’m not supposed to meddle in things that are so dangerous.” 

“What could possibly be so dangerous about a coin?” Melissa frowned. 

“Oh, you’re the ones with the coin?” Greg, the Gryffindor, came over. “My brother said there was still one left, but I didn’t believe him.” 

“Still one left?” Max turned to him. “Left from what?” 

“Oh, he said you didn’t know,” Greg laughed. “Man, you Paige’s are all the same. Wesley wasn’t kidding about you.” 

“Wesley’s my brother,” Tessa glared. “Don’t believe anything he says.” 

“Tell me more about the coin,” Max pressed. 

“Good luck with the rest of your potion,” Greg smirked and walked away. 

“Don’t worry about him,” Mel insisted. “I’ll get it out of him later. 

Max knew that they had to be getting close to some answers, but they had work to finish. He added a couple of the Standard Ingredient into the mortar and then put four mistletoe berries into the mortar and crushed it all up into a somewhat-fine powder. He added two bits of the mixture into the cauldron and stirred the mixture five times in the opposite way from the clock. 

He waved his wand over his cauldron and the potion became orange to show it had been completed right. It was pretty easy for Max to finish the potion, since all they had to do was follow the recipe. As long as he didn’t miss a step, he wouldn’t need to ask for help. 

Max also knew they were getting closer to solving the mystery of the coin. With a little more investigation, maybe they would find the answers they were looking for. 

 

Sources:
My Imagination and NPCs. (Dan, Mel, Greg, Wesley, and Tessa)
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Forgetfulness_Potion

 

History of Magic: Scintillating Severus Snape

Severus Snape was an only child in a Muggle Home in Spinner’s End. He and Lily Evans (eventually Potter) met when they were nine years old and they became good friends. Severus even fell in love with the girl. The area he lived in was not the most wealthy of areas. His mother Eileen was a witch. 

Severus Snape quickly became a rival of James Potter and Sirius Black. They bullied him a lot and it led to an end of his friendship with Lily. He tried to win her back and became a Death Eater with some of his housemates from Slytherin. When James and Lily fell in love, Snape was even more jealous. However, after James and LIly died, Snape promised to help protect their son Harry. 

During the First Wizarding War, Snape was a Death Eater working for Lord Voldemort. He was actually in the dark wizard’s closer circle. He heard about the prophecy saying a child would come and destroy Voldemort. He reported the prophecy to Dumbledore. When the Dark Lord said it would be Lily’s son, Snape begged Dumbledore to save the little family. Albus made Snape be his spy within the Death Eaters. He then did his best to protect Harry at Hogwarts, until Voldemort was defeated again. 

In the Second Wizarding War, Snape helped the Order of the Phoenix and continued to help protect Harry. He tried to teach Occlumency to Harry to protect even his mind from Voldemort. Harry even saw a memory of Snape being bullied by his father James. 

When Umbridge tried to interrogate Harry, Snape had given her a fake potion to use. After killing Dumbledore (to protect him from a disease) he became a Death Eater again and gave them intel about Harry, but also continued to warn the Order of the Phoenix so Harry could be safe and eventually destroy Voldemort. 

There could easily be arguments made for both Snape being a good or an evil wizard. He indeed walked a fine line between the two moralities, using his evil with the Death Eaters, but with the good intentions of leading them astray and protecting Harry… as well as showing his allegiance to Albus all the while. 

Clearly, Harry grew to respect Snape in the end as well, both for his good and his bad actions. He gave his second son the middle name of Severus, in honour of the man who helped protect his life. 

Sources:
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Severus_Snape

 

Charms: It Needs To Go Higher!

Dear Diary, 

Today we worked on the Levitation Charm. We had to use it to lift a feather from the desk. It seemed simple enough, but I’m still kind of new to actually doing magic. 

Tessa sat beside me and we both tried the spell at the same time. I said the incantation, “Wingardium Leviosa”, made a flick and swish with my wand for the movement, and stared at the feather. Nothing happened. Tessa was of course able to lift her feather without a problem.

I had to try the incantation a few times to get the pronunciation right, before I lifted the feather. After almost five or six times I was able to actually lift the feather, just a little bit off the desk! It felt great to finally do it! There was no light that came from the wand, but the effect of raising the feather worked! 

The only thing I really needed help with was the pronunciation of the spell’s incantation. We sounded it out a few times to make sure I got it right, and at last the spell worked! 

Next to us, Dan and Mel were trying to lift their feathers. Dan’s spell was said with a bit too much enthusiasm, and he actually lifted a chair off the ground! It crashed back down when he lost focus and hit Greg in the leg! We laughed, but he didn’t think it was that funny. 

It was a pretty fun class though, Diary! I can’t wait until the next lesson! 

See you soon, Diary! 

Max. 
 

Sources:
Imagination/NPCs. (Dan, Mel, Tessa, Greg)
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Levitation_Charm

 

DADA: Who am I? 

Max looked around for something he could use to make the hat that Emeric the Evil wore. He found some construction paper and folded it into a hat, making a point on the top and two points out of the sides. He put on his hat and went to the front of the room. 

He got several laughs about his hat so he pressed onward. “Hello everyone!” He held out his wand and said, “This is my Elder Wand! I used this to rule the southern area of England and controlled that part of the world!” 

Max cleared his throat and said, “I was a very good student in Dark Arts, especially with my Elder Wand. I was very good at being with magical creatures too, and I could even fly some of them that looked like dragons! I could even tame them and teach them tricks!” 

“I had an absolutely horrid death though… Can I get a volunteer to help me show a very violent duel? Without actually killing me, of course!” 

Greg got up a little too quickly and Max knew he shouldn’t have been surprised. He came to stand next to him and asked, “What do I have to do?” 

“I will fight you to the death! I will defeat you in this furious duel with this elder wand! I will…” He kept pretending to fight with the boy who was quickly becoming an arch nemesis. Greg pulled out his wand then and called out an actual spell, surprising everyone. 

“Mimble Wimble!” Greg shouted out. 

Suddenly, Max felt his tongue tie up inside his mouth! The professor had to do the counter spell and Max was able to talk again. Greg was given detention, and Max was sent to the Hospital Wing even though he was able to talk again. It was a very eventful class! 
 

Sources:
My Imagination. NPC (Greg, Permission in the Lesson from the Professor)
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Emeric_the_Evil
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Curse

 

Herbology: Spiky Bush 

Dear Diary, 

Today in Herbology class we talked about the Spiky Bush. We had to write down some things about it, so I looked in my textbook to find the information and answer the questions in a simple format. It was easy enough, especially since today was all about the facts. 

Spiky bushes are semi-sentient plants, which still amazes me by the way. The fact that plants can have feelings and thoughts is just so cool! Their roots are brown in colour and they have these big thorns that are yellow in colour. Whenever you get close to them, the thorns decide to shoot out spikes! That makes them extremely dangerous! 

There is a way to destroy the Spiky Bush though, which is a good thing. All you have to do is say the Fire-Making Spell. The incantation for that is “Incendio”. Then you can burn the plant up from a distance and destroy it safely. You have to make sure that you are doing it far away from the plant though, so that you don’t get hurt by their needles! 

The Spiky Bush is possibly related to the Spiky Prickly Plant. I know, obvious answer, right? This plant is a bush that has thorns that shoot out at humans too. The plant itself is green and big. To get rid of these plants though, you have to use the Severing Charm. This will cut their stems so they can’t hurt you. They had stems that were green with thorns growing out of them, but the stems couldn’t shoot spikes. But well, it’s not really smart to touch them either. But because they’re so similar to Spiky Bushes, they’re probably pretty closely related to them. I’m really not sure what the difference is, to be honest! 

Those were all the questions we had to answer in the class though. I hope I don’t come across one of these plants or bushes in the forest or anywhere, but at least I know how to take care of them if I do! 

See you next lesson!

Max. 

Sources:
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Spiky_Bush
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Spiky_Prickly_Plant

 

COMC: Flobberworm

Max could recognize the smell from the moment he walked into the classroom. His parents, specifically his father, had played this trick on him and his sister many times. He had put the fritters among all the other goodies and made it seem like they were normal, but Max and his sister had always known better. It may taste good, but Max had no intentions of eating anything that had been made out of the boring old slug-like creature. He’d tried it once, just to prove to his father that they really were disgusting. Never again. 

“Oh! Those look yummy!” Daniel the Muggle exclaimed and went to reach for one of the fritters. 

“It’s a trap, Dan. Don’t do it,” Max tried to warn. 

“Oh come on. How bad could it be?” Dan asked, picking up the treat and looking it over.

“You might turn into a flobberworm creature,” Melissa teased. “They’re the most boring creature that exists.” 

“Don’t be mean,” Tessa rolled her eyes at the Gryffindor girl. “Flobberworms may be boring and ugly but they are still useful.” 

“Yeah,” Max looked at them. “They are just ten inches long and look like big lumps of slug. They have this brown skin, which the professor has attempted to cover with this... sticky gooey stuff,” he said, making a face. “They even have mouths on the front and back sides of their bodies. But there’s no teeth.” 

“Oh come now... you all are being too hard on the little guys,” Tessa insisted. “They are actually quite useful. They produce Mucus which is used in quite a few potions: Cure for Boils, Wiggenweld Potion, Herbicide Potion and the Sleeping Draught. All of which are pretty important potions. So maybe let’s not be so hard on the little guys?” 

“I’m more than happy to use them in potions,” Max conceded. “But I have absolutely no intention of eating them. I’m not falling for that trick again.” 

“What trick?” Dan asked with his mouth full. “I think they’re delicious!” 
 

Sources:
My Imagination. NPCs: Daniel, Tessa and Melissa
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Flobberworm
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Flobberworm_Mucus

 

Flying: Finding Your Way

Dear Diary, 

It was really interesting today travelling to Hogsmeade with a portkey. Because this is where I grew up, it was nice to know that I could come back so easily in the future if I ever get my own portkey. That’s when I wondered… what if the coin I had found in my parents’ attic was a portkey? How did it work and where did it take them? And how come when me and my friends held the coin, it didn’t take us anywhere? 

I tried really hard to focus on the lesson but this question kept burning in my mind. Regardless, we had work to do. Tessa and I flew beside each other as much as we could and we used our compass to find our way back to Hogwarts. It was difficult at first because we weren’t sure where anything was, in relation to Hogwarts that is. We’d only ever gone there on the ground. We hadn’t even gone on the train because we grew up here. We did, however, know our way around Hogsmeade. So Tessa and I flew around looking for our houses. We flew overhead and dropped letters to our folks from the sky, because we had planned on sending them by owl anyway. This would save our owls a trip! It was really cool seeing our houses from up in the sky, that’s for sure! 

In order to figure out how to get back to Hogwarts, we looked around to see the landmarks that might help us get there. Actually, we looked for a big clump of trees. We figured that would take us to the Forbidden Forest and we turned out to be right. That was what ended up helping us get back to Hogwarts. We then saw the tall towers of the castle off in the distance, set our compass for that direction, and flew that way towards the castle. 

When we got back to the castle we talked about why it was so much harder flying in the sky than being on the ground. We figured that it was probably because there were more landmarks on the ground than in the sky. Up there, all we could see were the tops of buildings and trees. It was harder to determine what was what from that viewpoint. The tops of buildings could have been any old building, we wouldn’t have been able to tell. And one clump of trees would look the same as another clump of trees. 

We talked about how the main way to tell your way on a broom is the compass, and having a clearer sense of direction of where north, south, east and west are. If you know, for instance, that a castle tower faces a certain direction, you can hold the compass that way and hopefully find your way to the right castle tower. To be honest, we both agreed that it was easier just to use the landmarks on the ground when walking around, and maybe the tops of the trees and buildings and such… 

It was a fun lesson though, and we hoped to have a lot more like it! It was definitely nice to see our home village from a different angle! 

Sources:
My Imagination/NPC. (Tessa)

11: 11 - April Classes

Transfiguration: Snail to Teapot 

Max ran into the classroom with Tessa, Dan and Mel. They had been complaining about the rain the whole way there. Max held an umbrella for himself and Tessa, and Dan held one for himself and Mel. When they heard they had to go back out and gather snails, Max knew he wasn’t alone in feeling less than excited. He groaned as he opened his umbrella, and led the others back outside. 

The group of friends went straight to the Great Lake. They indeed found a group of snails around one of the nearby rocks. 

“Look at that one,” Max said, kneeling to put the little snail into a plastic bag. “He’s got a brown body, and a big white shell around him. I bet he hides in there when he’s scared.” 

The others gathered similar snails from the stone by the Great Lake and then they ran back into the classroom. Max put his snail from the plastic bag onto the desk and then tried to wave his wand three times like he was supposed to. He wasn’t surprised when the snail just sat there and stared up at him. 

“You’re not waving your wand right,” Tessa told him. “Back and forth, like this.” She showed him how to do it, without pointing at his snail so it wouldn’t change because of her. 

He tried again, and the snail’s shell turned into the handle of a teacup! He was elated, but the snail’s head still looked up at him in an almost laughing fashion. In spite of a third attempt, he still couldn’t transform the entire snail into a teapot. Max knew that he would just have to keep practicing, and do the spell with more confidence and certainty; none of which he felt in this particular subject.

As the class ended, he gave the professor the location, by the Great Lake, where he and the others had found their snails, then they left the classroom. 

Sources:
My Imagination and NPCs (Dan, Mel, Tessa)
https://harry-potter-compendium.fandom.com/wiki/Snail_to_Teapot

 

Potions: Poisons & Antidotes

It is important to understand what poisons are, and how to cure them with antidotes. There are so many dangerous things in the wizarding world, and one needs to be prepared to protect oneself against them. 

Poisons are anything that harms or kills the person that drinks or eats it, touches it, or breathes it. Antidotes can be used to destroy the effects of what these poisons do. They can heal those who are harmed by coming in contact with the poisons given to them. 

Basilisk Venom is a very dangerous poison. If someone takes in this venom, they will become sleepy and get blurry eyesight before they died. This would not even take a minute to occur! It was even something that could get rid of horcruxes. This is an example of a poisonous ingredient. 

One antidote exists for this venom, and that is the tears from a phoenix. This rare antidote will make the basilisk venom less effective. 

The Death Potion is a very dangerous poison that will kill anything that comes in contact with it. 

Another poisonous potion is the Herbicide potion. This is important for all herbologists because it will kill or cause wreckage to plants. It is useful if you need to remove dangerous plants! 

Other than the Basilisk Venom, another poisonous ingredient is Cowbane. This ingredient comes from plants and is used in Doxycide, which kills doxies, and the Shrinking Solution. 

The Phoenix Feather has been mentioned as one antidote, but another one is the Sleeping Drought, which puts the person into a deep sleep, though this is only temporary. A third antidote that can be used is actually Chocolate! It can be used to cure someone if they have been attacked by a Dementor! 

These are just a few poisons and antidotes that one needs to be aware of. Knowing about both is vital to knowledge; it could save a life! 

Sources:

https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Poison
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Basilisk_venom
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Death_potion
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Herbicide_Potion
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Cowbane
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Antidote
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Sleeping_Draught

 

History of Magic: House Battles - Part One

Max was so ready for this. He loved competitions and he was ready to show what he could do. The only problem was that he had been placed on a team with Greg the Slytherin, Michael the Ravenclaw, and Amy the Hufflepuff. He was fine with Amy and Michael, though he didn’t know them well. The problem was that Greg had been hovering, wanting to see the coin he’d found. Needless to say, he would have rather chosen the teams. 

“Alright, the first question,” Michael started them off. “What traits did Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff value for their houses?” 

“That’s easy,” said Amy. “Ravenclaw valued wisdom and intelligence.” 

“And Hufflepuff focused on friendship, loyalty and patience,” Max answered. 

“And that’s why you’re a snake, Max. What do you know about loyalty?” Greg chided, making Max glare at him. 

“Alright, we all know you hate each other,” Michael stopped Max as he started to shoot back a reply. “What type of charm was Helga Hufflepuff good at?”

“Anything to do with food,” Max jumped in before Greg could. “What cup did she create?” 

“Hufflepuff’s Cup, of course,” Greg answered. “It had two handles and a badger on the side and some jewels. It was golden and it was used as a Horcrux.” 

“Oh, and Rowena had the Diadem, right?” Amy perked. “It was a Horcrux too, and there was a quote on it.” She flipped through the text and read, “‘Wit beyond measure is man’s greatest treasure’. I like that.” 

The group was satisfied with their answers and turned them in. But they weren’t the only ones who got the trivia questions all right. They tied with Tessa’s team, and all got chocolate frogs! 
 

Sources:
My Imagination and NPCs. (Michael, Greg, Tessa and Amy)
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Hufflepuff
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Ravenclaw
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Helga_Hufflepuff#Magical_abilities_and_skills
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Hufflepuff%27s_Cup
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Ravenclaw%27s_Diadem

 

Charms: I Must Get Up There Somehow! 

The Softening Charm is a spell that makes an object softer, or “spongy”. This is why the spell also goes by the name “Spongify”. This is also the incantation and it’s pronounced, “SPUN-ji-fyie”. The wand movement is to make an “S” shape, and then an orange or purple light will come from the wand. If all this is done correctly, the targeted object will become softer. 

There are at least three people who performed the Softening Charm during their time at Hogwarts: Gilderoy Lockhart, Professor Flitwick, and Ron Weasley are some of the less-obvious users of this spell. 

There are many times when the Softening Spell could be useful. One suggestion is if you are being attacked and someone is throwing something hard at you. While the rock or book is coming at you, for instance, you could soften the item so it doesn’t hurt as much when it hits you. 

There is a difference between the Softening Charm and the Cushioning Charm, though they are indeed similar. The Softening Charm makes the object itself soft and spongy. On the other hand, the Cushioning Charm creates an invisible “pillow” that makes the area above the object softer. 

The Softening Charm is also taught in Transfiguration class. This makes perfect sense because one changes the texture of the object itself, making it more “spongy”. Therefore it is a form of Transfiguration. 

This Softening Charm is a very valuable spell to learn, for multiple reasons!

Sources:
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Softening_Charm

 

DADA: Magic Against Muggles

Dear Me, Myself, and I, 

This is a difficult topic for me to write about. As you well know by now, your uncle Josiah is a dark wizard. He was arrested just before you started this year at Hogwarts. At your birthday party… Dad wasn’t there because he and his fellow Aurors were planning to arrest Josiah at the party, and send him to Azkaban. Unfortunately after almost a year of searching, you now know the answer as to why he was arrested: He killed a Muggle. 

Obviously killing is wrong on all counts. A life is a sacred being that deserves to be lived out as the creature or human chooses. And of course, we all make decisions and everyone reacts differently, but… that doesn’t excuse killing a Muggleor another wizard; both should be included in this discussion. Both Muggle and Wizard lives have the same value. 

However, if you’re being attacked, and someone wants to kill you… doesn’t that make it different? ‘Cause then it’s self defence. And to be honest, if I read these papers right… which I found hidden in the restricted area of the library… that’s what he was doing. He was apparently having a meeting with his group of friends - they were a group called “Legion” apparently. The picture in the paper showed them all with their logo badge for the gang on their shirts. That was what was on the coin that you found in the attic at home… They were a gang of wizards. 

Anyway, I guess a gang of muggles ambushed the place and attacked them. IT was a really had fight and Uncle Josiah and his friends used magic to defend themselves. Which isn’t really fair, but I think this answers the question of why wizards fight muggles: to defend themselves, their family, and their friends. I guess they used magic because they were outnumbered and they wanted the upper hand. This makes it okay to kill a muggle - if they started it. But um… Uncle Josiah might have used the Killing Curse, and that’s why he was sent to Azkaban… on your eleventh birthday. 

Honestly, the Statute of Secrecy is hugely important. As wizards we have more options in fighting and muggles won’t be able to learn the spells unless they have wizard blood and can go to Hogwarts. So it’s better to keep the worlds apart and protect them from magic. My father, and his auror partners, had to erase the muggle gang’s memories - the ones that they could arrest after the gang war, at least. Otherwise they’d tell everyone about the fight and they’d want to all do magic for really bad reasons. 

The last question, about a Muggle hunting law? That’s a little ridiculous, don’t you think? I know a lot of my fellow Slytherins would disagree, especially since the Slytherin founder created the Chamber of Secrets and had the Basilisk just for this reason, but muggles have a right to live just like wizards do. It’s crazy to think that anyone would want to destroy a whole group of people… 

But before I reflect on anything historical that happened… I’m going to end this long letter. I know this is a lot to take in, but hopefully you’ll be able to take the time and process it all. 

Sincerely, 

Yourself. 
 

Sources:
My Imagination and NPC family.
Harry Potter Book: Chamber of Secrets. 

 

Herbology: Asphodel

Asphodel is a plant that can be found all around the world. It is used by both wizards and muggles alike. The stem is a dark green colour and its slender leaves are very long. It also has flowers that are pointed on the ends, and white in colour. 

Asphodel is also known as “Royal Staff” and it is related to the Lily plant. This plant is used in many different ways and is useful as an ingredient to many potions like the Wiggenweld Potion, and the Draught of Living Death. 

Sources:
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Asphodel

 

COMC: Adorable Puffs

Puffskeins may be one of the cutest creatures in the magical world. They are small, round shaped, and very furry. Their hair is usually a custard, or yellow, colour and it has magical properties too. They hum when they are happy. They are related to the Pygmy Puff, the Fanged Puffskein, and the Appaloosa Puffskein. The Ministry of Magic classifies the Puffskein as a Beast, and gives it the rating of XX. Puffskeins are scavenging creatures that eat all sorts of little things they find on the ground. But while their human sleep, they will use their long, pink tongue to eat bogeys! 

There are three different types of puffskein Pygmy Puffs are pink or sometimes purple in colour. They are nature to England and classified as a XX-Beast. 

Appaloosa Puffskeins are generally found in New York, in the United States. They are also known as “American Puffskeins”. They were bred by only one breeder, illegally, in New York and are now extinct. That breeder was NEwt Scamander in 1926. 

There are also Fangled Puffskeins who have fangs. Creating them and breeding them was considered illegal and the Wizengamot could punish you for owning them. 

Puffskeins are not only adorable pets, but they are also useful in making potions. Their hair has properties that are used in the Laughing Potion, and you need a few handfulls of their hair. 

Whether they are used as a pet, or for potions, Puffskeins are adorable creatures to have around! 
 

Sources:
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Puffskein
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Pygmy_Puff
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Appaloosa_Puffskein
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Fanged_Puffskein

 

Flying: Broom Care

Dear Diary, 

Today in flying we got to learn how to take care of our broomsticks. It’s really important to do this before every flight because you don’t want to be up in the air and have something go wrong. 

I was a little distracted today, if I’m being honest. I randomly picked up a Nimbus 2000, not even realizing anything about it until Tessa said something. Then I saw that the broom had a shiny and sleek-looking stick part, with “Nimbus Two Thousand” actually inscribed on the top of the handle in gold! The handle itself was made out of mahogany. Usually their twigs on the tail were clean and straightened, but this one was a mess! There was dust and fingerprints all over the handle and a tonne of bent twigs. 

As I worked on my broomstick, I told the others how I’d found some papers in the restricted area of the library. I used the wax and the polish to get rid of the dust marks and make the mahogany all shiny again. I got rid of the loose twigs, pulled them out, and straightened up the ones that were bent out of shape. 

It wasn’t hard to care for the broom with wax and polish. I actually found it relaxing, and I also felt rewarded when I finished cleaning up the twigs and they were in the proper form again. 

Tessa and I talked while we finished cleaning our brooms. I think we both agreed that it’s important to wax, polish, and de-twig our brooms because if you don’t, you could lose your grip and find yourself falling! Also loose twigs could fall off from a neglected broom, and fly into a teammate’s, or opponent’s, eyes, wrecking their vision. 

We figured this kind of cleaning should be done at least once a week if it doesn’t need more. I said this was important because a lot can happen in a week, and the broom should be spotless, especially before Flying Class, or a Quidditch Match! 

It was a fun class, but I can’t wait to get up in the air again! Talk to you later, diary! 

From Max. 
 

Sources:
My Imagination and NPC (Tessa)
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Nimbus_2000
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Broom_care_station

12: 12 - May Classes

Transfiguration: Avifors

Max watched the professor turn the rubber duck into a sparrow. He had to admit, that was pretty cool. Actually, that thought was proof of how much the eleven-year-old had grown in the past year. At the beginning of his education, Max had thought the subject of Transfiguration was actually ridiculous. He couldn’t understand the point of turning something into a whole different object. Now, though, he was starting to see its value. 

That didn’t mean Max wanted the year to end. He had discovered some pretty disturbing secrets about his family, and frankly he’d much rather stay here at Hogwarts with his friends. 

“Come on Max, let’s go get an object,” Tessa reached for his hand, and he reluctantly followed her to the front. 

Snakes were okay. Frogs, spiders, bats, he didn’t get scared about. But… birds? You never knew where a bird would go, or what they were thinking. You couldn’t make birds be quiet, and they flew past you out of nowhere. Max hated birds. 

“What’s wrong, Max? Scared you’ll mess up again?” Greg chided from nearby. “I heard you finally found those archives from the Daily Prophet… about your uncle.” 

“Shut up,” Max yelled at him and grabbed a Magic Eight Ball out of the box. “You could have just told me, and saved me the trouble.” 

“Not a real Slytherin, I guess,” Greg went on. “You know there are a bunch of pictures of that gang in our common room.” 

Max rolled his eyes and walked away to his desk. He had a spell to do… he could worry about the pictures of his uncle’s gang later. 

Since the Magic Eight Ball was black everywhere except the white circle that showed the answers, he decided to try and change it to a yellow and blue sparrow. He loved the idea of a competition, though. Professor Valkerie did always come up with great ideas! He loved showing Greg that he could do things well. But just in case, he asked the 8-ball, “Will I turn you into a little sparrow?” The answer on the ball showed, “Not likely.” 

No matter… Max held out his wand and said, “Avifors!” That was the incantation he’d read for the spell. Then he moved his wand in a sideways figure-eight shape. He almost jumped back in shock when his eight-ball actually changed into a small, blue and yellow sparrow! He reached out and gripped Tessa’s arm and pointed, speechless. 

“I knew you could do it!” Tessa beamed, throwing her arms around him. “I’m so proud of you!” 
 

Sources:
My Imagination and NPC Character (Tessa and Greg)
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Avifors_Spell

 

Potions: Herbicide

Dear Diary, 

Today we made Herbicide, a poison that I’d already studied a bit lately. I remembered that my mother insisted that none of this stuff should be found in her greenhouse, or Brianne and I would be in serious trouble! This made sense, now that I had read about it: The poison damages, or even can kill, the plants! No wonder mom didn’t want it around! 

There was a bit of extra pressure today as we were making the potion with the professor! Talk about intimidating. Nevertheless, I did my best to keep up. 

First, I put four lionfish spines into the mortar and crushed it with the pestle until it became rough powder. I did the same thing with two measurements of the Standard Ingredient. I crushed it up into the mortar into rough powder, then put three measurements of it all into the cauldron. I waved my wand, and then let the potion brew for just under an hour. 

While waiting, I played Gobstones with Mel, Dan, and Tessa. We talked about the articles I had found in the restricted section of the library, and how they revealed that the coin I’d found was a secret symbol, showing other “Legion” members that you were one of them. I also told them the grim details of Uncle Josiah’s arrest; that his gang had been ambushed by a Muggle gang in their world, and how my uncle had killed a muggle in the fray. My friends were very sympathetic and understanding. Mel even asked if we could use the coin to get into the group, to learn more, if there were any Legion members left. I wasn’t sure if Profesor Bennet was listening in or heard any of our discussion… 

After a few rounds of Gobstones, the timer went off and we got to work again. I added two measurements of Horklump Juice to the cauldron, putting the temperature to “medium” for ten seconds or so. I put in two clumps of the Flobberworm Mucus into the cauldron while it was still heating up. Maybe it was the same mucus I had collected as a teacher’s assistant for Magical Creatures! 

To finish the potion, I stirred the mixture four times, in the direction that a clock goes, and then waved my wand to finish the potion. I was a bit behind the professor’s progress, but that was probably because I was distracted and thinking so much about Legion, and if any of them were still around, and why Wesley and Greg seemed so interested in it too. 

The potion itself actually turned out like it was supposed to. It even became the right colour: green! 

After we were finished, we cleaned up our working areas and headed to the Great Hall for a snack. I’ll tell you more as it happens, Diary! Thanks for always being here to listen! 

Max 
 

Sources:
My Imagination and NPCs (Tessa, Mel, Dan, Josiah, Greg, Wes)
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Herbicide_Potion

 

History of Magic: House Battles, Part Two

Max was relieved that this class’ teams were Slytherin against Gryffindor. That meant, no matter what, he wouldn’t be on Greg’s team. On his team was Karissa (Slytherin), Adam (Hufflepuff) and Tessa, of course, who was from Ravenclaw. Max was much happier with this team! 

For their poster, they drew a white “S” in the middle of a crest-shape outline, which was of course coloured in dark-green. Then, they each signed their first names around the “S” and they drew onto the “S” to make it look like a snake. 

“Alright, three facts, then something created by our founder,” Max began. “The faster we do this, the more likely we’ll win the chocolate frogs!” 

“Well, one fact about Salazar Slytherin,” Karissa began, “is that he’s got a bald head and a really cool-looking grey beard!” 

“Nice,” Tessa grinned, looking at the picture in her textbook. “Another fact about him is that he was a Parselmouth. That means he could talk with snakes.” 

“Right,” Max nodded. “And he was a Pure-blood, which is actually really important. He was really against Muggles being allowed at Hogwarts.” 

“Which leads us nicely into something that Salazar Slytherin owned,” Adam concluded. “He owned a Basilisk - probably the most important thing he owned. He kept it in the Chamber of Secrets. Whenever the heir of Slytherin opened the chamber, the Basilisk would be free to kill all the Muggle-borns in the crate!” 

Since they were done with the questions, they went to hand in their work. They were the first ones to do so, and they won the contest, getting the chocolate frogs! 
 

Sources:
My Imagination and NPCs. (Karissa, Adam and Tessa)
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Salazar_Slytherin

 

Charms: If Only We Had Fire

Dear Diary, 

Today in class we got to learn the Fire-Making Spell! This was actually one of the spells I’ve been excited to learn. It helps you stay warm, it provides light, and it can even be used to protect yourself from someone if you need to put a ring of fire around you. Plus, fire is obviously needed to make a campfire too! 

The Fire-Making Spell, then, actually creates flames out of nowhere! We all had a lantern on our desks and we had to use the Fire-Making Spell to light it. 

I held out my wand and said the incantation “Incendio”. I made the wand movement in the shape of a flame, and waited. Miraculously, orange-and-red light came out of my wand, and fiery flames appeared in the lantern! I was extremely surprised that it only took me one try to make the flames. I guess the wand really did suit me! 

Unfortunately, not everyone was so lucky. Dan, the Hufflepuff, somehow managed to burn up the corner of our desk! We had to get the professor to come and help us put it out! I’m not sure what spell he used, but I think it was just the normal old counter curse. 

It was probably one of my favourite lessons though, and I can’t wait to use the spell outside of the castle! In completely safe ways, of course! 

Talk to you later Diary! 

From Max.
 

Sources:
My Imagination and NPC (Daniel)
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Fire-Making_Spell

 

DADA: Melchior Alfonso-Ambrosia

Max watched as their professor introduced the guest for the day. Now that Max knew why his uncle had been sent to Azkaban - he’d used the Killing Curse on a Muggle during a gang war - nothing shocked him anymore. Max was actually excited to talk with the vampire. It also wasn’t like he’d never seen them in Knockturn Alley, where his uncle would take him before Hogwarts. 

He tried to remember the ones he had met, and he answered the first few questions while others interviewed their guest. Max wrote down that vampires had very pale skin, were usually way taller than him, and they had fangs with their normal teeth. They were creatures of the night, meaning they were nocturnal, and they usually would have a life span much longer than humans. Some had even lived to be around two-hundred years old! Max had also read that they were native to Romania, Great Britain (including the Black Forest near Hogwarts, Max noted), the United States and Transylvania. 

Max studied Melchior the vampire, making notes about his appearance. He had a tall, thin body but it looked like he cared about his physique and exercised often. The man also appeared to be much older than the professor. Maybe even close to ninety-five. He had dark green eyes and a long, pointed nose, and he had short, very black hair. 

When it was his turn, Max went up to the front and sat in the chair across from Melchior. “Hi Sir, my name is Max Paige.” 

Recognition showed in the vampire’s face, making Max wince nervously. “Paige… you are related to Josiah, who ran that shop in Knockturn Alley?” 

“Yes sir, he is my uncle,” Max looked down. “Maybe we could stay after class and talk about that?” He really didn’t want to talk about his uncle in front of the whole classroom. 

“Of course,” the vampire nodded. “What are your questions?” 

Max cleared his throat and began. “What has life been like for you? Was it hard, being a vampire?” 

“It was difficult at times, yes. Often I receive mixed reactions when I enter a room, like your classmates all gave. I generally stick to my own clan, or family, if you will.” He leaned in and whispered, “That’s how I met your uncle years ago. In the Black Forest.” 

Max nodded to both answers, and went on. “How do you… feed? I know you drink or eat blood, or whatever… but is it always so violent?” 

“That is an excellent question. We do not generally go out into the daylight, as you probably know… To feed, we drink blood. There are a number of ways this happens, but if it helps, we have friends in the Black Forest who sacrificie small vials of blood for us. We also eat pasties and candy that tastes like blood! We’re sometimes found in Honeydukes!” 

Max chuckled a bit at that and asked, “How do you feel about wizards?” 

“I will answer that more for you after class, but essentially it is like I said before. All species have some good and evil among them, even creatures. As long as every life is treated with proper respect, I have no personal issues with other species, human or otherwise.”

Max thanked the vampire and went back to his seat. He could only imagine what they would talk about after class. 
 

Sources:
My Imagination and NPC Family.
NPC from the lesson. (With the professor’s permission)
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Vampire

 

Herbology: Into the Forest

Max heard the professor’ instructions and looked over at the ominous forest. Inside that forest was a clan of vampires, one of whom he’d recently met in Dark Arts class and who knew his (arrested) uncle. There were also members of the dark wizarding gang called “Legion”, who still met and were allies of the vampires, in spite the fact that their leader was in Azkaban. To say that Max was nervous to be near the forest was an understatement. 

“We’ll be okay,” Tessa promised, taking his hand. She had been his best friend since birth, and of course Max had filled her in on everything that had happened in the conversation with the vampire after Dark Arts class. “Besides,” Tessa added, “He said the vampires, and Legion, would welcome you, right? Since you have the coin? So they’re on your side. There’s nothing to be afraid of.” 

“Yeah, it’s just now that I know where they are…” 

“Max, focus. We have plants to find.” 

“Right, plants,” he nodded to Tessa. “Asphodel first. I think I remember reading that it’s found on the grounds somewhere, right?” 

“Yeah,” Tessa nodded, leading him away from the forest to a small patch of plants near some rocks on the grounds. “That stuff has a dark green stem, and the flowers are white and pointed. I think that’s Asphodel.” 

They picked out one Asphodel plant and put it into their plastic bag. “Okay, Aconite. I think it grows in the wild, and just in Scotland. Let’s go back over to the edge of the forest.” 

They went that way and found some Aconite by the edge of the forest. Max felt a bit anxious being near the forest, but safe at the same time. They found the purple flowers easily and put one carefully in the bag. They had put their dragon-hyde gloves on first of course! 

The third plant to look for was Knotgrass. There was a lot of this around the edge of the forest so they got a handful and put it in the bag. 

Finally, they had to find Bubotuber. The large, black slugs were disgusting, and Tessa let Max pick one up from just inside the forest, and put it into the bag. 

Max and Tessa talked on the way back to the professor and the rest of class. They had enjoyed the lesson and having their knowledge tested, but Tessa admitted she could have done without collecting the bubotuber! 
 

Sources:
My Imagination and NPC (Tessa), and the vampire from Dark Arts - with Professor Zeno’s permission.)
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Asphodel
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Aconite
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Knotgrass
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Bubotuber

 

COMC: Little Crup 

Max laughed as the little crup bounded over to him and Dan. He was brown and white in colour and had green eyes. He looked like a Jack Russel Terrier and had a forked tail. Max scratched the animal behind its ears, but it growled towards Dan. 

“What did I do now?” Dan asked, holding up his hands. “Why are all these creatures so against Muggles?” 

“He probably doesn’t like that you’re a Muggle-Born, like the Kneazles,” Max sighed and pet the crup. “It’s okay, boy. He’s a wizard too…” He looked at Dan and said, “They’re really good scavengers.” 

“He’s got a cool pattern on his fur. It’s like a grid, with brown and white squares throughout it,” Dan observed. 

“They’re a XXX-Beast, but they eat gnomes!” Max said. “I was gonna tell you… Tessa hates gnomes. Like, absolutely HATES them. So I had an idea…” 

“Yeah? What’s your idea?” Dan asked, running around in circles. The crup, curious about the game, started chasing him. 

Max caught on and started running in the other direction. The crup looked between them and tried to pick which one of them to follow! 

“Let’s put some little plastic gnomes everywhere. She’ll find them all over the castle and they could have trivia questions attached to them, to find the next one.” 

“And she won’t be able to resist a good riddle, like a good Ravenclaw! It’s perfect!” The crup started running after Dan playfully and he said, “I think he’s starting to warm up to me!” 

“Yeah! There are two things you have to have in order to own these guys,” Max remembered from reading about them earlier. “You have to have a Crup license, and you have to pass a test to show you can control them around Muggles. They’re close enough to dogs though that you could hide them easily enough. 

They spent the rest of the class throwing a ball back and forth as the crup jumped and tried to steal it, which he did a few times! It really made Max miss his own Husky, Kito… 
 

Sources:
My Imagination/NPCs.
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Crup

 

Flying: Charm of the Broom

Dear Diary, 

Today in class we talked about how there are lots of charms used on brooms to make them comfortable for us to fly on. It was actually really interesting and I gained a deeper appreciation for. 

The first spell we had to look up was the Disillusionment Charm. This was actually something I hadn’t known was on several brooms, and it’s kind of cool! So basically it makes it so you don’t even look like yourself, you look like whatever is surrounding you! So I guess when you’re on a broom, you kind of blend into the sky… or is it just the broom that blends in, and not the rider? It makes you like a chameleon… which in Quidditch I’d say would be very useful! 

The second charm that’s important with brooms is the Cushioning Charm. It was created in 1820 by a wizard named Elliot Smethwyck. He made the charm so that it would be more comfortable when you ride brooms. I gotta say I am very grateful for this charm… it makes it so much nicer to ride, especially when you ride for a long time. You can be relaxed instead of riding the hard wooden broom between your legs! 

If I had to add any charm to my broom, one that was made up, it would be like a radar charm… something that vibrates the broom or makes a beeping noise whenever someone is flying really close to me. I want this for my broom because I hate when other riders come up behind me and scare me! I would like to know they’re coming! 

I guess that’s all the questions… see you next time, Diary! 

From Max. 
 

Sources:
My Imagination
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Disillusionment_Charm
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Cushioning_Charm
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Elliot_Smethwy

13: 13 - June Classes

Transfiguration: Flintifors

Max stood in the last class of Transfiguration wondering how in the world he had made it this far. At the beginning of the year, he couldn’t even turn a match into a needle, or lift a feather off the desk, or even send sparks from his wand! Now, he was going to be tested on all of it! He had been studying hard, mainly to forget about the Legion and the Vampire Clan that he’d found out about in the Black Forest, but he was ready. He wanted to show those exams who was boss! 

Leaving class early didn’t really make any difference to Max either. He was with his friends either way. Who knew if they’d all work together again next year, but for now they were the “Fab Four”: Max the Slytherin, Tessa the Ravenclaw, Dan the Hufflepuff, and Melissa the Gryffindor. Since they could choose their team for the class, of course they all became a team of four! 

“Alright, the last person to touch their nose does the fifth cube, as well as theirs, Mel suggested. “One, two, three, touch!” 

Of course, Max was cursed with his bad luck as always, so he had to do the extra cube. It wasn’t too hard though, really. 

They had five cubes on the table, and they were all standing around it. The cubes were the size of a rubix cube, but they were all just painted black. Max figured it was a good place to start as any. This spell made sense to learn, since matchboxes were much more useful than cubes! 

Each of them took turns performing the Flintifors spell on their cube. Melissa did hers first and with one try she made the cube into a medium-sized, blue matchbox. Tessa and Dan had no issues making their small, and round, matchboxes either. 

When it was his turn,  Max took at least three attempts of the first cube, and six attempts of the second. When they were done, they each had a small drawer that held four or five matches. But in the end they were both small and black and had drawers that held the needles. 

Next, they each had to turn a match into a needle. They all did pretty well with this one, since the four of them had been studying their charms and spells. 

Their group wasn’t the first to finish, but they weren’t the last either. They got to leave class twenty minutes early! 
 

Sources:
My Imagination and npc characters (Dan, Greg, Mel, Tessa)

 

Potions: Antidote to Common Poisons

Dear Diary, 

Today we brewed the Antidote to Common Poisons. It’s definitely an important potion to have around, since it pretty much gets rid of effects from just about any types of poisons, like if a creature stings or bites you. 

The first thing I had to do was crush up one Bezoar in the mortar until it became a really fine powder. Then I added four measures of the crushed up Bezoar, and two measures of the Standard Ingredient, into the cauldron. I let the cauldron heat for five seconds, then waved my wand. 

While we waited the forty-minute period as the potion brewed in the cauldron, me and Tessa played Wizards Chess. We talked about going home for the summer. Dan and Mel lived farther away, but at least we were still neighbours in Hogsmeade! I told her that I’d been messaging with my father about Uncle Josiah. My father isn’t all that happy that I’ve been snooping for information, or that I was in the restricted sections of the library, or that I’d been getting into fights with Greg and Wesley… Oh, I forgot to tell you that part, Diary! 

When the timer went off, I got back to work on the potion. I added a bit of Unicorn Horns, which just felt wrong to use… then stirred to the right twice. I added two Mistletoe Berries into the cauldron, stirred the other way twice, then waved my wand, and the potion was finished. When it was finished, the potion became a teal colour. 

It was a really good thing I stirred the potion the right way, or it wouldn’t have come out right! I didn’t make mistakes or need help from the professor ‘cause instructions are easy enough to follow! 

See you next time! 

Max. 

Sources:
My imagination and npc characters (Tessa, Josiah, Mel and Dan)
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Antidote_to_Common_Poisons

History of Magic: Look At All the People! 

Max thought this was a great last assignment! He loved watching the portraits and he liked the professor’s idea for reviewing the work they had done this year. As he looked for two people to compare, he decided to go with Newt Scamander and Harry Potter. Seeing as Max was the assistant teacher for Magical Creatures Class, Newt was something of a hero. He chose Harry because he thought they were quite similar, but he found it curious that they were sorted into different houses. Max wanted to know why. 

He could have spoken with the portraits themselves, but that’s what everyone else was doing and it was loud. So Max took his textbook and past notes to a corner of the room and got to work. 

The first thing he noticed that was the same was the fact that both Harry and Newt had a special relationship with animals. Newt owned a Niffler that rarely left his side, and always had great respect for the creatures he studied, which they had for him too. Harry had a similar relationship with his owl Hagrid, also talking to the bird like he was a human. Also when Harry met the Hippogriff, and even the Thestrals, there was a mutual respect there too. 

A third similarity is that they both had Albus Dumbledore as a mentor. For Newt, it was when Albus was a professor. The older man saw something special in Newt, just like he did with Harry. But with Harry, Albus was the Headmaster. Both Harry and Newt, though, had a unique relationship with Dumbledore and respected him as a wise advisor. 

The differences between Harry and Newt were a bit harder to spot at first. The first one that Max wrote down was that while Newt’s boggart was a boring desk job, that was in fact what Harry ended up doing - working for the Ministry of Magic! 

Another difference is the houses that they were sorted into. Harry was sorted into Gryffindor and Newt was in Hufflepuff. The only reason that Max could guess for this was because Harry was more brave and willing to directly flight other wizards. Newt was more soft, though this wasn’t a bad thing, and was happier being around the creatures than learning how to fight. 

There was no question in Max’s mind that if placed in the same war, Newt and Harry would be on the same side. They both took stands, though in different ways, against the great evil wizards of their times: Voldemort and Grindelwaldt. They both believed in the victory for good and for peace. 

As Max tried to think about who he was more like, he could see similarities with himself in both Harry and Newt. He wasn’t sure if he would rather fight with spells, like Harry (and his uncle Josiah, for that matter), or use creatures and laws to protect the world, like Newt (and his father). He had a feeling this was the starting point of that battle in his heart… Time alone would reveal the truth of which path Harry would follow… 

Sources:
My Imagination and NPC family (dad and uncle)
Knowledge of the Harry Potter series, and memories from past assignments. 

 

Charms: Oh No! It’s Broken! 

The Mending Charm, also known as “Reparo” is a charm that has the effect of fixing objects that have been broken. The incantation is to say “Reparo” and pronounce it “reh-PAH-roh”.” The wand movement is to move the wand in a circular shape, curling inside instead of finishing the circle. There is no light that comes from the wand, but the broken targeted object will be fixed! 

Orabella Nuttley created the Mending Charm in 1754. What had happened was that she worked in the British Ministry of Magic in the Improper Use of Magic Office. The Colosseum, in Rome, had been destroyed by accident. The Colosseum was a big theater that the Romans built back in the first century. Somehow, during a race on brooms from Aberdeen to Rome, the fans got into a big fight. While the fight was happening, the Colosseum blew up in an accidental explosion. Orabella Nuttley was the one who fixed a few of the columns with the Mending Charm. She taught it to the other ministers, and the whole place was fixed by the time the Muggles, who’d woken up from the explosion, showed up. 

There are two instances when the Mending Charm will not work. First the spell only worked on objects that didn’t move, not on living beings. There would likely be negative side effects if that was attempted. 

A second time this charm doesn’t work is when used on objects that were already affected by other magical spells; like wands, for example, or the Cabinets that vanished. 

One variant of the spell is “Oculus Reparo”. This variant fixes glasses, like Hermione often did for Harry Potter as his glasses broke quite frequently. The other is “Papyrus Reparo”, which puts ripped up pieces of paper back together. 

The Mending Charm is a very useful spell to know, as it is used very often in the future. 
 

Sources:
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Mending_Charm
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Coliseum

 

DADA: Victoria Martel

Max walked into the Dark Arts classroom feeling a bit nervous. During the last class, he had met a vampire that knew his Uncle Josiah, who was now in Azkaban. Hearing that the woman visiting today had been in Azkaban, but she had been released before Josiah had been arrested, Max was a bit relieved. The likelihood that she knew him, or what he had been doing for the past four years. That made him significantly relax! 

When it was his turn, he went up front and sat next to the woman. “Hello ma’am. It’s nice to meet you. I guess I have a few questions.” 

“Sure thing,” the woman nodded. 

“So the professor said you did some theft. Was there any object or dark magic that you used for this?” 

“One thing that I found very helpful to use while stealing was the Hand of Glory. This item gave me light when I held it, but no one else could see that light. It was very handy for sneaking into places. I also used an invisibility cloak, which I’m sure you are familiar with, right?” 

“Oh yes,” Max nodded. “I’ve often wished I had one… for good purposes of course,” he smirked. “What about when you wanted to hurt someone? Even just a little?” 

“Well, I’m not proud of it, but I used something called a Crushing Cabinet.” 

“That… sounds effective,” Max grimaced. 

“Yes. I would put wizards in there and let the walls close in, just a little bit, but enough to hurt them. Plus, I would use spells like Flippendo, the Knockback Jinx, which threw the victim backwards, and the Impediment Jinx. This one basically makes the victim frozen in place.” 

“Wow, I guess you did really well in Charms class,” Max laughed nervously. “Lastly, is there any advice that you would want to give us?” 

“The biggest advice is to avoid Azkaban at any cost. Trust me… Dark magic - spells, objects and creatures - they all seem like fun, but nothing at all is worth seeing first hand the terrors inside Azkaban. It’s the last place on earth that you ever want to be.” 

As Max went back to his seat, he felt absolutely shaken. All he could think about for the rest of class was his Uncle Josiah, sitting in an Azkaban cell that very moment. What nightmare was the man living, for a crime he committed out of self defense? 

And then he had another thought: what did he have to do to get his uncle out of Azkaban? 
 

Sources:
My Imagination and NPCs. (Interviewee from class, Uncle Josiah)
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Hand_of_Glory
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Crushing_Cabinet
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Invisibility_cloak
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Knockback_Jinx
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Impediment_Jinx

 

Herbology: Examination Preparation

Max and Tessa sat beside each other in the greenhouse and got to work on their last assignment for Herbology class that year. “Did you have a favourite lesson this year?” Max asked his best friend. 

“You know, I actually just keep remembering that first lesson… walking into the greenhouses, all excited… I don’t think I’ll ever forget that feeling.” 

“See, for me it was our last class; the scavenger hunt. It was so cool to look for the plants and knowing where they were. I felt so much more confident than the first lesson.” Max grinned. “Plus, knowing that Legion and the Vamps were inside the forest… I felt less scared.” 

“I don’t know, Max. Do you really want to mess with them? I mean, they got your uncle arrested.” 

Max shrugged. “I’m still not sure, but at least I have a choice now. So what plant should we review? Did you have one that stood out that we learned about?” 

“Hmm…. Not really. What about you?” 

“I actually thought Dittany was a really important one. Remember that it was all dark green and it was called ‘Burning Bush’, because it let off flaming vapours?” 

“Oh yeah! It was really useful! It’s a wand core, for one, and it can make healed new skin grow back over an injury.” 

“It’s also good for if you get bit by a werewolf,” Max added. “I think I’m going to take home some Lavender. I have a feeling I’m going to be getting Mom to make some Calming Draught and Sleeping Draught. This summer is going to be busy, I think…” 

“Why… what are you planning?” 

“I probably shouldn’t tell you here,” Max hesitated. “Let’s just say it’s a good thing that Hogsmeade is so close to the Forbidden Forest. It’s not forbidden in the summer…” 
 

Sources:
Class syllabus and memory of lessons.
My Imagination and NPC (Tessa, Legion gang, Vampire Clan)
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Dittany
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Lavender

 

COMC: License and Regulation

Dear Diary,

Today we had to pick a subdivision of the Ministry of Magic in Great Britain. I think anyone who’s met me over the past year knows that I’m the Assistant Teacher for this course, so obviously I chose to focus on the Department for the Regulation and and Control of Magical Creatures. Why do subdivision names have to be so long, anyway? At any rate, I’ve been thinking this might be an area or goal for the future that I want to learn more about. I’ve really loved helping out until this class over the past year. 

The main function of this department to take care of magical creatures, control and tame them as much as they can be so that they don’t harm others, and concealing or hiding them from muggles. This includes any sort of being, beast or spirit. 

Personally, I think this department is important for creatures in the wizarding world. Animals of all kinds need our respect and our care. They need to be provided with care, shelter, and food. Sometimes they cannot do this for themselves, and we need to help keep them safe. 

It’s not just because we should treat creatures well because they deserve our respect. If we don’t do these things or if we let them into the Muggle world, they could hurt themselves or others! Or risk the International Statute of Secrecy. 

So I think I’m going to spend the summer making a list of creatures… maybe some key points about them, like on flashcards. That way I’ll be able to know more about them at a second’s glance for next year! 

See you later, Diary! 

Max. 
 

Sources:
My Imagination.
https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Department_for_the_Regulation_and_Control_of_Magical_Creatures

 

Flying: Hide & Seek 

Dear Diary, 

Today was the last class for Flying of the year. It’s so hard to believe that I’m almost done my first year at Hogwarts! I’m definitely going to miss it over the summer, but I hope I can still fly a broomstick when I get home to Hogsmeade. 

In this lesson we played hide and seek. I’ve never really been a fan of the game, but at least we got to be up in the air for our last class, so that was something. 

I found a spot to hide in one of the trees by the greenhouses. The disillusionment charm really helped me stay hidden for quite a long time, because I could blend into the colours of the tree! I’m not sure how long I was hidden for, but apparently I was one of the last to be found! The lesson where we learned how to balance on our brooms really helped as I hovered in the tree. The slightest movement, and a branch would crack. I would have given away my location! 

In the next year, I hope to get better at managing speed on my broom as well as navigation. Maybe even being on a broom long before. I can’t wait for September to get here! I’ll see you then, Diary! 

From Max. 

Sources:
My Imagination and Knowledge from flying classes this year.