Magical Hogwarts

Volume 41: JULY 2005

PAGE 1: CURRENT EVENTS AND MINI PLOTS

world Step into the enchanting world of magical creatures and mystical flora at the Wizarding Naturalist Convention on the remote Heard Island and McDonald Islands. Nestled in the southern Indian Ocean, these captivating islands serve as the perfect backdrop for witches and wizards to gather and celebrate shared passion for the extraordinary wonders of nature. Join fellow explorers in a commemoration of biodiversity, featuring captivating presentations and hands-on workshops led by renowned naturalists. Delve into the secrets of indigenous magical creatures, while uncovering the unique flora that thrives in these remote and untouched islands. Discover groundbreaking research in the field of magical ecology, conservation spells, and enchantments designed to protect and preserve these delicate ecosystems. Attendees will have the opportunity to observe magnificent creatures in their natural habitats and witness breathtaking displays of magical prowess. Whether you're a full-fledged magical naturalist, an inquisitive newcomer with a penchant for potions, or just someone who's easily distracted by sparkly things, this mystical gathering has something extraordinary for everyone! [[OOC note: Start new threads in the Outside World board and include [WNC] as a thread prefix. For more information on Heard Island and McDonald Islands, please see the ISS & BSC info thread.]] artistic flying camp The artistic flying school in Rybinsk has offered training camps during the summer before. This year, however, they're getting competition. The French Artistic Flying Centre had its grand opening in June and also welcomes athletes from all over the world to stay and train there. While the school in Rybinsk can advertise with the tradition and the reputation of being the first and best artistic flying school in the world, the French artistic flying federation is trying to set new standards and sees their training centre as an alternative especially for Western European athletes. Clearly both schools offer training camps because that's a way to earn money and to get people interested in the sport. Read more on these opportunities for young athletes on page 10 and 11.

International Summer School Get ready for a summer of wintery fun! In stark contrast to its past locales (and climates), this year the International Summer School (ISS) will take place on Heard Island and McDonald Islands: a collective Australian external territory in the sub-Antarctics. Rising First Years through recent graduates (Class of 2005) from all schools are invited to join a team of naturalists residing on Heard Island in a unique immersive experience. Students will live in enchanted igloos; learn about the wildlife, ecology, and geology of the territory (magical and non-magical) from the researchers at Mawson Peak Station; and participate in winter games and activities. Need-based scholarships are available. Session One runs from 18th July (Monday) through 31st July (Sunday), while Session Two runs from 1st August (Monday) through 14th August (Sunday). Co-location with this summer's international Broomstick Sports Camp (BSC) allows students to participate in both activities during the same session, if so desired. Broomstick Sports Camp Interested in spending your time away from school playing any manner of broomstick sport? You won't want to miss this summer's international Broomstick Sports Camp (BSC), let alone its unique location this year on Heard Island and McDonald Islands: a collective Australian external territory in the sub-Antarctics. From Quidditch and Quodpot, to Shuntbumps, to broom races, and more, there's a broomstick sport for everyone to discover. Rising First Years through recent graduates (Class of 2005) from all over the world are randomly assigned to teams, and will be able to enjoy practicing their preferred broomstick sport(s) with experienced professional athletes. Everyone is encouraged to try out different positions and sports throughout their stay. Multiple climate-controlled open-air pitches provide protection from the harsher elements while allowing for stunning views of the glacial landscape. A tournament with the camp teams (involving a medley of broomstick sports) is held in the final few days. Need-based scholarships are available. Session One runs from 18th July (Monday) through 31st July (Sunday), while Session Two runs from 1st August (Monday) through 14th August (Sunday). Co-location with this year's International Summer School (ISS) allows students to participate in both activities during the same session, if so desired.

PAGE 2: SPORTS

GOBSTONES: A GAME, OR A SPORT? Sure, it may seem like a subtle, unimportant distinction -- but this week it's one the Wizarding World has been forced to reckon with as different factions of "'Stoners" (as fans and participants of the unique Wizarding pastime "Gobstones" call themselves) face off over a study published in the Charms Quarterly research journal that found that Gobstones is by far the least popular magical sport. "What tripe!" argued Official Gobstones Club spokesman Phoebus Partridge. "Of course Gobstones can't be expected to compete with (highly overrated) Wizarding sports like Quidditch or Quodpot, but pitted against other magical pastimes such as Wizarding Chess or Exploding Snap it flies to the front of the finish line." In the ensuing days, the Official Gobstones Club was flooded with owls and Howlers demanding Partridge be recused of his position, ironically proving that Gobstones is popular. Said self-proclaimed Gobstones fanatic Jacques "Spitting Jack" Hubert, "Partridge could never hope to understand this, as a mere amateur, but the skill and finesse required to play Gobstones at a competitive level is far beyond what the average billywig-brained Beater could hope to achieve." Asked to comment, Gareth Cadwallader, head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports, released a statement to press on Monday: "Who cares?"

ARTISTIC FLYING: Upcoming national championships by Irina Onishenko   July is a busy time in the artistic flying scene. There are several small competitions but also the national championships which serve as qualifying competitions for the international championships. Will the current champions defend their titles? Will new stars rise? How will the new senior athletes fare after graduation from school? You'll get the answers to these and more questions at the national championships. Fans shouldn't miss the opportunity to cheer for their favourites in competition. While the Russian championships traditionally get most international attention, the French Artistic Flying Federation is preparing for a big event as well. The French championships will take place in the new artistic flying centre in Barbizon between the 14th and 17th of July and will end with a gala event. Between the 21st and 24th of July the Russian Nationals take place. Due to the ongoing investigations in the case of the murder of Polina Raskolnikova, the event has been relocated from Rybinsk to Sochi.

PAGE 3: OTHER NEWS

TRIAL SCHEDULED FOR ARSÈNE DUTOUR Arsène Dutour, temporary professor at Beauxbatons, was arrested in May 2005 after it became obvious that he was not only behind the spider attacks at Beauxbatons but was guilty of several crimes. Now the date of his trial has been set. On July 28th he’ll have to appear in front of the French Wizengamot. The charges are many and it is suspected that he’ll be found guilty of most of these charges which, among others, include experimental breeding, bodily harm with fatal consequences, breeching of the Statute of Secrecy, and fraudulent representations. Dutour (70) is known for his work as a scientist and healer. There’s little known about his private life, but he has a son with his ex-wife Margaux Dutour who was born a squib. It seems like his fate of having fathered a non-magical child drove Dutour, who was well versed in breeding magical creatures, to try and ‘breed’ his own magical children. What looked like he was offering help to couples who struggled to have a child, was, in fact, selfish. Through artificial insemination he created his own offspring. We will follow the trial and report on its outcome which is of interest to not only to the directly affected families but to all students and parents of students of Beauxbatons. Rumour has it that Olympe Maxime, longtime headmistress of the Academy, has to answer the Wizengamot as well as her role in the whole drama at Beauxbatons this year wasn’t a lucky one either. Critics say that she should have noticed that something was wrong with Dutour and have taken action sooner. MINISTRY CLOSING IN ON EXTREMIST GROUP by Evan Reavley   In spite of tightened security and an attempted repression of media access regarding the Ministry of Magic's pursuit of the domestic terrorist still only known as "the Dark Widow", this journalist has learned that Harry Potter and his intrepid team of Aurors are closing in on the pattern of her attacks. Thanks in part to the calculative efforts of his international colleague Larkin Primrose from the United States, the DMLE response teams have in fact been in advance position to counter several recent strike attempts. The month of May saw the Widow and her "Orphans" come back down the Hebrides, and in June they came back down through Ireland, culminating in a vicious water battle in the middle of St. George's Channel on June 25th that required a high number of Muggle Obliviations. No Ministry representatives were available for comment or would confirm these claims, but the target on the Widow's back certainly seems to be growing tighter. The Prophet will continue to try and find answers in spite of increased security around the investigation. [[OOC note: Avengers: Orphans: Endgame will be this month. Taed would like to thank everyone who participated even briefly or peripherally in this story arc, and encourages anyone who wants to be in the finale on either side to contact him or lee for details on the final showdown.]]

Hinkypunks: Misunderstood inhabitants of the marshland by Rolf Scamander   Good morning, readers. Today I want to tell you about my recent adventures on the island of Eigg in Scotland. If you want to go there yourself, I highly recommend taking a midge-repelling potion and NOT visiting the main muggle restaurant as they insist on the wearing of trousers and the locals started muttering something about cycle-tricks, whatever those might be, and making that odd gesture of waving one finger around their temple (which I'm sure we're all familiar with). But I digress. As children, we all learned to avoid following a strange light, particularly in open or boggy country. And with good reason! Historically, hinkypunks have been surrounded by dire warnings of death, but aside from a small string of reports from the years 1209 to 1231 when skeletal remains were found on isolated moorland the day after hinkypunk lights were seen, there is little to associate them with any actual wrongdoing. In fact, thanks to my research I can confirm that hinkypunks in fact mainly live on insects, and while their lights are indeed a lure, they are mainly to attract their food in the same way as moths will fly to wandlight. I don't believe this to be their only purpose, though. Hinkypunks are not solitary creatures but rather live in family groups, with the young being smaller and having less-well developed bioluminescence. Indeed, while I intend to visit other colonies to confirm my observations, it seems likely that their habit of leading travellers into bogs is in fact leading a perceived threat away from their young and this protecting their family. Something I feel sure we can all relate to, and I am glad to report that hinkypunks are perhaps not so different to us after all. The editor has asked me to remind all readers not to follow strange lights, and if you do find yourself lost in isolated countryside, to please take the precaution of erecting a shield charm before sending up the nationally-recognised distress sign of three showers of red sparks (which even the muggle emergency services will recognise, though do try to avoid getting transported to one of their healing facilities as their knowledge is quite mediaeval). Until next time, Happy Searching... mathe-magical The third annual Math for Magbobs camp will be running in Cerritos, California from July 11 – August 12. Open to all Ilvermorny students who desire remedial instruction in foundational mathematics skills to supplement their magical coursework. Tuition and boarding fees will be need-based thanks to a generous gift from donor Fred Hsiao. Send a letter by USPS to 12829 Cantrece St., Cerritos, CA 90703.

HAVERKAMP, BLEVINS HONORED BY POTION MASTERS GUILD TIVOLI, Italy (AP) — It is always a pleasure for the Potion Masters Guild to convene for the celebration of new Gold Cauldron holders, one that happens only every few years at Casa de Gismondi. This year, the PMG will honour two Potion Masters with the prestigious Gold level, allowing them to take on young apprentices of their own. This year's honorees are: Mallore Haverkamp (25) of the Netherlands, an Herbologist and small commercial grower of aconite and brewer of Wolfsbane Potion; and Nerys Blevins (33) of Wales, a Healer in the St. Mungo's Potions & Plant Poisoning Ward. The journey to Gold Cauldron is one of the more rigorous journeys of budding potioneers. Gold Cauldron is only achieved by creating a new and useful potion that is deemed worthy by a large group of Gold Cauldron guild members. Haverkamp, who is also a registered werewolf, has successfully developed the formula for, brewed, and tested Lupinovaccin, a complete magical blood protection from infection by werewolf bites for a 12-hour period, which she playfully suggested will probably be better known by the colloquial name "Wolfsguard Potion." The details of Blevins' creation were not yet released for public information by the Guild at the time this paper went to print. While the qualification of mastery level has already been given to Haverkamp and Blevins privately, a public awards gala will be held on Sunday, July 31st at Casa de Gismondi to reognize their accomplishment and formally award them their statuses. symphonic summer by Loïc Le Quellec   2-to-6-week summer intensives at the Wizarding Symphony Orchestra at the Palais Beaulieu have begun in earnest this month, returning a number of students from both Beauxbatons and around the world to the streets of Chatoeil. Whether students are studying performance, ballet, composition, conducting, or supporting arts, they will be contributing to several performances over the next two months under the tutelage of regular ensemble members and the 2005 artists-in-residence. In addition to the solo and chamber recitals occurring every other Friday evening through July and August, the ballet this year will be Don Quixote, and the orchestra students will be performing Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique and premiering Aphelion by Ukrainian composer Vira Shevchenko. All concerts are free and open to the public.

PAGE 4: GOSSIP AND SOCIAL

BANSHEE'S BACK! The hotly anticipated Banshee world tour kicked off on Saturday 2nd July, with an energetic show in London. The band played a strong mix of their prior hits and a number of songs from their newly released album, B, which were well received by the home crowd. The British and Irish rockers will be playing a limited number of shows across Europe before heading to Japan and Australia for the first time, then finishing up with shows on the west and east coast of the United States. When queried about the shorter number of dates the band's manager rebuffed suggestions that demand had dropped, highlighting the larger venue sizes and reductions in the cost of magical travel, allowing fans from a wider region to gather together and offer a larger scale experience. Banshee play next in Dublin before heading to Paris and beyond.

Muggleborns beware! Our faithful reader, Geraint Griffiths informed us that Voldemort has been sighted in Swansea. Upon further research and interviews with locals we can confirm that he is back. Going by the name of Cadwgan Tew, Tom Marvolo Riddle is back in Britain. He has had plastic surgery, so you won’t be able to recognise him anymore because of his missing nose - he has overcompensated the years without a nose by getting a particularly large one now. So far Cadwgan Tew is staying at an old people’s home, pretending not to know anything about the magical world, but we suspect this is just a cover while he’s trying to build an army again. Watch out and report to us if you find anything out. Wedding dreams by Patricia Porter   Which girl doesn’t dream of a fairy tale wedding? I know, I do. The dream became real for Svetlana Vsevolodna Tikhomirova who married Cezary Kowalczyk in May. Maybe the husband is not every girl’s dream given that his job is basically dealing with dead bodies, but the heart wants what it wants. Svetlana Vsevolodna was dressed in a sexy white dress that showed her trained body in the best possible way and she was blinding everyone with her beauty. Clearly the artistic flyer was the happiest person at the party. That the party took place at the artistic flying school might have been a little hint that Svetlana is far from retiring just yet. She demonstrated her rivals that she can have it all - a career in a demanding sport like artistic flying and a happy family life. While she only just got married, she still has ambitions in the sport which she stated quite clearly even at her wedding day. She wants to dethrone her cousin Aglaya Antonovna Tikhomirova at the next big championships. Witch Weekly wishes the happy couple a bright future full of love and, as we know that’s what Svetlana desires, gold medals.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Perpetua Robbins (17) Zhenya Shishkina (18) Lijsbeth Westbroek (18) Janae Tate (20) Keela Doyle (21) Giovanna Coppola (24) Harry Potter (25) Callista Bowen (25) Anthony Goldstein (25) Nessa Regan (28) Honey Bea Flume (32) Liliya Wolanski (36) Erik Fisker (53)

PAGE 5: CREDITS AND NOTICES

information We have revamped The Daily Prophet based on member feedback and welcome any comments or suggestions in an effort to further improve the Prophet. credits This issue was created by the Administration team, with additional submissions and ideas from Carys, Helena, Laura, and Taed. We would like to thank Christine for the easy-to-use coding and Samm for the amazing header. how to contribute We are always seeking member-produced stories and submissions. This can be in the form of in-character letters to the editors, rumours and gossip, or character-driven plots. You can submit your ideas to any member of the team, however if you have something in mind for a specific geographical area of the board please reach out to the respective admin: • Olivia - Hogwarts & British Isles • Inga - Beauxbatons & Western Europe • Dylan - Durmstrang & Eastern Europe • Lee - Ilvermorny & North America

get inspired for the ISS (and the Naturalist convention) with this Pinterest board!
send any pin suggestions you might have to me via PM or on Pinterest 💕

(also this thread has been updated with this month's events as well as student summer opportunities)

It is time.