art by Joanna Quinn

Written by: Jonsu Ann Nevalain

Edited by: Shelby Hastings

House Rivalry: How Far is Too Far?

Sixteen years have passed since the Second Wizarding War came to an end. The Wizarding World still bears some of the scars gained throughout those dark times. Some scars still seem like a fresh and open wound. Others are mostly healed, leaving nothing but a faint mark. They may not hurt as much as they used to but the marks that the scars left do one thing.

They help us remember.

The war may be over but like every war, it has affected society’s way of thinking. Sometimes for the better...other times for the worse.

Even before the Second Wizarding War, the Slytherin House has always been looked down upon as the “evil” House. Salazar Slytherin, one of the founders of Hogwarts and also the creator of the Slytherin House, despised anything and everything to do with Muggles and Muggle-born students. He wanted to make Hogwarts strictly a “Pure-blood” school and went through great odds trying to make his wishes come true.

Salazar is enough to cause the prejudice against the Slytherin House but unfortunately there have been more causes.  Even though Voldemort is long gone, people still fear him and some even still refuse to say his name out loud. People also fear Salazar Slytherin even though none of us are old enough to remember him. Their vile actions still affect us to this day. They have also cast a massive shadow upon the Slytherin House in general. Today, Slytherin’s are in a constant struggle against society’s way of thinking. They are almost always looked down upon as the “evil” or “cursed” House. Is this necessary? Is it fair to judge the whole House simply because of the actions of certain individuals?

I was given the opportunity to sit and have discussions with various students about the matter. One of these students was Vladimir Waldrom, a Slytherin student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He admitted that he used to think the same things about his own House. “I remember exactly what I was thinking when I was sorted into Slytherin,” he said, “I remember thinking that I was sorted into the “sinful” House. Naturally I thought that I must be depraved and baleful myself.” It didn’t take long for Vladimir to realize that he couldn’t have been more wrong. “It’s hard to believe that I once fell into society’s way of thinking if it comes to the Slytherin House. It actually makes me sick. How can someone judge a whole group of people for the mistakes of others?”

An anonymous Gryffindor student had something to add to this. Her sister is in Slytherin and her brother is in Ravenclaw. “With my siblings in different houses, I've always felt the need to stand up against any house prejudice. Additionally, I have friends in various houses, Slytherin included, and therefore I have nothing against the house at all. In fact, I've found my own house to ironically be more prejudice.” She also said that she if often shunned in a room of Gryffindors for standing up for the Slytherin House.

“People should stop with the stereotype,” says Brynhild Deveroux, a Ravenclaw student at Hogwarts School. “Just because the founder of the Slytherin House only liked “pure-bloods” it doesn’t mean that the House itself is like that. It is rude to assume that the Slytherin House is the worst of them all because they aren’t. I actually have quite a few Slytherin friends. All that matters is what is actually in their hearts, not what society thinks. People should grow up and see them for THEM.”

Cessilia Richards, a first year Hufflepuff, has lost friends due to standing up for the Slytherin House. “I was sitting with some friends in the Great Hall when a Slytherin girl came walking by us. She was a quiet Slytherin. Seemed to keep to herself.” Cessilia had decided to say hi to the girl and talk to her. “She looked so sad and lonely. My friends at the time did not approve of this. They told me that she was evil and that I was now fraternizing with the enemy.”Cessilia never spoke to her old Hufflepuff friends again and she is actually really good friends with the Slytherin girl now. “I thought that the Hufflepuff House was supposed to consist of the nice ones. I fail to see how calling someone evil for no real reason is considered nice. That’s when I quit labeling people by their House.”

The anonymous Gryffindor student added, “No one is the embodiment of their house, no one is a paragon of loyalty or wisdom, and no one perfectly fits into a mold expected of them just because the founders of that house were like that. We are all so humanely human with our human flaws and human thoughts. We are so disgustingly human and perfectly human and beautifully human. We shouldn't hate a selective group of people in an extremely ironic backlash.

And she couldn’t have said it any better. We are all human. Slytherin isn’t the only House that has committed some horrible deeds. People of every House have made mistakes. Making mistakes is a part of being human.

“Also, the only house that should be hated is House Lannister. Mainly Cersei Lannister, of course.”

Another anonymous student stated, “If a dark wizard had come from another house, promising things that prominent families who get sorted there traditionally aspired for, many would follow. Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, or Hufflepuff. Now I admit, villains often tend to be cunning, ambitious, sly, etc. But similar things could have happened with another house if history were different.”

Moira Griffith, a Chat Moderator Team Leader as well as the Astronomy Head girl for HiH, has seen and heard her fair share of House prejudice. “When I hear that people discriminate based off a House, using the kind of stereotyping that J.K. Rowling herself would frown at, it truly upsets me both as a Slytherin student and as a leader on Hogwarts is Here in general. Each individual, and indeed each House, brings a perspective that may be weaker (or does not occur) in the other Houses. We should celebrate our individuality, and know that at the end of the day we are all connected both by this site and by the book series that started it all.”

By all means, the Slytherin House is not the only House that has experienced this prejudice. All four Houses have had to go through something similar. As was mentioned earlier, we are all human. For many people, anything that is different from them is viewed as either dangerous or inferior. We have seen similar behavior across the board, both in the Muggle World as well as the Wizarding World.

If you enjoyed this article or completely despised it, please send me your opinions and comments via OWL. I would love to hear what you all have to say.

http://www.hogwartsishere.com/jonsunevalain/

art by Joanna Quinn

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Written by: Vladimir Allan Waldrom

Edited by: Rowan Blackclaw

A Waldrom Short: The Most Unfortunate Incident of Otis Snackleport

(The events portrayed in this story are not real Wizarding World events. This was all purely made with my imagination.)

Otis Snackleport, a 54 year old man, was found dead in his home on Wednesday, Oct. 22. His body was submerged in his bathtub with his hands tied behind his back. The only possible suspect is a 7 year old, Devon Finnigan. Snackleport was watching him while his parents were out of town. Merona Finnigan, the mother of the boy, spoke up on his behalf. “Please. My son wouldn’t hurt a fly. I am sure that he is not capable of murder! He’s just a boy!” Devon Finnigan is currently being held in the City Prison for further questioning.

There are certain words that you should not say to a child under any circumstances. For the mind of a child is so sensitive to everything around them. So delicate. So fragile. Otis Snackleport did not take this into consideration. You may ask, “What kind of a name is Snackleport?” Snackleport was the name of a very vile man who was not at all pleasant to look upon, for he had a massive belly that hung out of the bottom of his wrinkled up suit jacket. And if you think it couldn’t possibly get any worse, he had an undesirable habit of not paying much attention to his hygiene.  

Did you ever have that imaginary friend when you were little? Don’t you dare tell me no because I wouldn’t believe you one bit. Every child has a friend who is always there and follows their every move. The same goes for little Devon and his fearless pirate companion, Captain Everett. Together they have uncovered many riches and sailed the high seas in search of adventure.

You wouldn’t think that a man like Snackleport would be fitting enough to play the role as babysitter. And if you do approve of this preposterous idea, you would get along well with Mr. and Mrs. Finnigan. The peculiar couple decided to take a last minute road trip and in their haste to depart, they dumped little Devon on Snackleport’s doorstep without really getting to know more about this loathsome man. Why Snackleport was interested in babysitting this poor little boy, I do not know. Perhaps Mr. and Mrs. Finnigan offered him a fair amount of payment? There is no way of knowing now.

Under Snackleport’s roof, Devon followed Captain Everett through many an adventure. But Snackleport did not at all approve of Devon’s taste of imagination. Snackleport has never been one with a decent imagination. You can almost say that he never really experienced or grasped the meaning of being a child at all. One fateful day, Devon and Captain Everett were in the midst of a great battle against their biggest and long time rival. Snackleport grew annoyed with Devon jumping around the place.

“Would you stop jumping around all over the place!?” Snackleport exclaimed. Little Devon was not at all fazed by the grumpy man’s tone. He paid no mind to the mean old Snackleport and ordered the crew to fire the cannons upon the enemy vessel. The enemy vessel went out with a BOOM and a BANG! Devon jumped and cheered with Captain Everett and the rest of the crew, celebrating their stupendous victory. Snackleport grumbled and muttered to himself as the veins on the side of his head began to pop out. After a few wretched moments of aggravation, the old and miserable man finally stood up, “Stop this racket before I make a beating out of ya!”

Little Devon continued to smile as he turned his attention to the mean old man, who now stood above him like some menacing giant ready to squash him into nothingness. Devon could barely even see Snackleport’s chubby face over the unappealing belly that seemed to have grown even more in size since Devon arrived.

“But sir! Me and Captain Everett have finally sent our long time enemy into t’ depths o’ t’ sea! This be a cause for celebration, aye?” He continues to dance around the ship with the Captain, crying out in joy and relief.

Much to Devon’s dismay, the evil babysitter took him roughly by the shoulders. His chubby face was as red as fire and he scowled down at the boy, “How many times do I have to tell you to stop this racket!?”

Devon’s smile suddenly turned upside down at the feeling of Snackleport’s fingers digging into his skin. “B-but sir....I was just celebrating our victory against th-“

“Oh, enough of that, boy! There is no need to waste your time with your mindless childish games.”

Devon shakes his head, “No... It is not a game. Captain Everett and the crew are my friends!”

Snackleport scoffed and tightened his grip around the poor boy’s scrawny shoulders, “Stop that claptrap, boy! Captain Everett doesn’t exist! He is nothing but a figment in that big head of yours.”

Captain Everett and the rest of the crew suddenly faded from view. The sweet scent of the ocean air was now replaced by Snackleport’s atrocious odor. The filthy house carpet now grew over the water stained ship deck and there was no longer a celebration taking place. Everything grew deathly silent and dark. Little Devon stared up at the old man with a look of sorrow that would crush the hearts of anyone witnessing the event, except for mean old Snackleport, that is.

Now Devon sits anxiously in the City Prison with his parents and waits for someone to arrive for questioning. He stares at one of the plain white walls almost lifelessly. The sight of a dead body can drive someone to the brink of insanity, especially a child as young as he is. His parents talk and grumble amongst themselves and Devon remains unmoving. After some time, the voices of his parent’s seem to fade away and the sound of the crashing waves against the ship slowly comes back to life. Devon turns to face his trusty pirate friend. Captain Everett lets out a friendly yet menacing smile.

“That mean old man be gone now,” Everett says, “We can be friends again.”

art by Joanna Quinn

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Written by: Cessilia Richards

Edited by: Jonsu Ann Nevalain

Doxy Madness: Infestation in Chester!

On Thursday, Oct. 16th, an American Muggle tourist was rushed to the Countess of Chester Hospital after being bitten by some unknown creature inside Little Moreton Hall. She was experiencing swelling in her throat and a burning rash all over her body.

When the Muggle doctors were trying to figure out what had happened, the woman rambled on about being attacked by a giant furry bug with four legs, two pairs of arms, and very sharp teeth. The Muggle doctors thought her to be delusional from the effects of whatever bite she carried. Luckily one of the nurses at the hospital, Jasmine Jenkins, was a witch and was able to give the woman the necessary treatment on time.

Soon after the incident, magical experts visited Little Moreton Hall and found two batches of Doxy eggs inside the carpet of one of the closets. This obviously poses a threat to the unaware Muggles if the eggs were to hatch. It also means that there is a chance that the Wizarding World might be unmasked to unwanted eyes.

The building is now temporarily closed to the public as magical experts work on clearing out the eggs. According to sources, some of the eggs have already hatched and it is proving difficult to get this situation under control. There are approximately 1,000 eggs total and the experts are trying their best to clear them out as fast as possible before they hatch.

art by Joanna Quinn

art by Joanna Quinn