The JC Hogwarts House Cup, Version Two: Chamber of Secrets - Drumroll Please!

Okay, so, just testing the addition to my sig...

Dammit, it doesn't work. How come everyone else can have really long sigs and I can't?

Eh heh...okay, the quote I'm trying to make show up is actually really cool, so EVERYBODY READ IT!!!:
"I can imagine a world without war, a world without hate...and I can imagine us attacking that world because they'd never expect it."

 

Do I need to put a link to the icon in my sig?

yes.


And can someone please explain to Joe [wicket] WHY I can't write like twenty-odd books at the age of thirty, go back in time and sell them under a pen name, and then read them myself--all for the purpose of annoying him? AND while somewhere along the way learning all this really complicated sci-fi stuff and figgering out how to write good poetry? AND living in Ireland the whole time? He doesn't seem to understand how two mes in the same universe would create a time paradox...

Three Words: Read. Robert. Heinlein.



How come everyone else can have really long sigs and I can't?

250 character limit.


and I'm really tempted to write a better translation for the Psalms quote in your sig...but I'm all sung out of that song. Had a school thing two weeks ago and they (read: my class) wouldn't stop singing that song (that quote comes from the last chapter of Psalms, which is sung in Jewish homes Friday nights. Girls my age like to scream that line at guys. )

 

*sigh* Gin, if you need help with your sig, ask me and I'll help you out. Note to everyone else: She is a blonde...

...*is confused by Liz's post* Uh... yeah. Well see the thing is, Ginny here is going to grow up (like we all do) and at the age of thirty is going to think it would be really funny to ruin my life. She is going to make a time traveling maching, go back to 1988ish, and over the course of several years write 6 books (which are already written...) and through these books she is going to include several 'inside jokes' that only the 2 of us would possibly understand (including Yoda pajamas, going to the moon and other such things) and is even going to pay a slight homage to the Blue Yoda Society by putting pabst in the book. She is going to make it so they DONT go to the moon, she is going to make the girl i like and the guy i dont like go to the moon just so she can make my life (the one Im living right now) absolutely miserable, because she thinks its funny, and will then publish these books under a PEN NAME! She doesnt seem to understand the concept of a pen name right now though... but shes going to ruin my life.

And on a House Cup note... *feels stupid* When do we have to post the next update by? And Gryffs since I probably wont be able to get to the EZboard I might be PMing you an answer or maybe *gasp* even two! Okay... so yeah.

 

I'm updating later tonight for Gryffindor. If you have any answers, wicket, PM them to me.

 

Here's the Gryffindor update for this week. Everything is posted in the order in which we were given the tasks.

The Books



The Books

If Petunia had been the witch instead of Lily, would Lily have resented and despised her sister the way Petunia despised Lily? Explain your reasoning. 10 points.

Lily would not have resented Petunia because Lily was a kinder soul than Petunia and Petunia's resentment of Lily was there before Lily got the news she was a witch. Petunia resented Lily not only because she was a witch, but because obviously their parents favored Lily more.

The Books

Which student in Ginny?s year ?will be dying this year?? 10 points.

The student in Ginny?s year most likely to die this year is Colin Creevy. Of the students in Ginny?s year, the only characters who have played a major part in Harry?s life have been Ginny and Colin. Occasionally others are mentioned, but none have played an integral role in Harry?s life. Colin?s death would definitely have a strong impact on Harry?s life, however annoying and pestering Harry might have found him previously. Ginny?s life has already been put in danger, and it seems unreasonable to throw her into Voldemort?s hands again. Colin, however, is among the more ?reckless? of Gryffindors, and could quite likely be caught in the crossfire of a battle, fall into a trap or something to that degree, perhaps even risk his own life for the sake of another. JK Rowling has said as well that a 'fan' of Harry's will die; Colin would easily qualify as such.

The Books

If electronics do not work on Hogwarts grounds, what kind of alarm clock do the students use? How does it work? 10 points

Hogwarts students use a simple cuckoo clock alarm to wake up in the morning. Wizards still use clocks and cuckoo clocks require no electronics. These clocks are also enchanted to be extra loud to help out those that have difficulty waking up.

The Books

Where and how do wizards learn how to read, write, and do calculations? 15 points.

Obviously those from part muggle or all muggle families would go and learn at normal muggle schools before starting wizarding school at age 11. Children of wizards have special wizard primary schools. They are much like muggle schools but use parchment and quills instead of pen and paper. Students here, even though of wizarding descent are not allowed to do any magic. They must wait until wizarding school age. This rule exists to prevent youngsters from relying totally on magic and never learning these skills needed throughout life.

The Books

Were there any more Mirrors of Desire made? If so, where are they, and if not, why not? Explain the reasoning underlying your conclusions. 15 points

There are no other mirrors of desire. Elwin Erised, the wizard who created the mirror, went crazy staring into the mirror shortly after its completion. He was so wrapped up in his dreams that he forget to live ? and forgot to write down the secret of the mirror?s creation. No other wizard has successfully created a mirror of desire, although there do exist mirrors of boredom, jealousy, and hate.

The Books

Which is the more evil: Darth Vader, Emperor Palpatine or Lord Voldemort? Explain your reasoning. 15 points

Of these three, Emperor Palpatine is the more evil. Completely controlled by the Dark Side of the Force, which is pure evil, he could be said to be evil incarnate. We never see him show pity, but rather see a twisted, manipulative and downright cruel tyrant. Darth Vader on the other hand, while also evil, is redeemed and there always seems to be a glimmer of the light side left in him, or else he could never have been turned back. Voldemort, while certainly evil, does not quite reach the level that the Sith sunk to. We know, that at first, he does not wish to kill Lily, though he does when he has to, but most people would agree that the Sith would not have thought twice about killing her, and most likely in a more torturo

 

Adi, great job but you forgot the whopper, the board scheme! Can you edit it in?

 

Oops! Sorry about that, xie. The scheme wasn't in the answer thread, so I missed it. But I just edited it in.

 

I wanna play too! Is it too late to join or what?

 

You can still play, Jedi_Nailbiter. Go back to the first page of this thread and PM one of the prefects of the house you want to join.

 

Here's a Slytherin update (since my internet connection might be dead tomorrow):

The Books: What is the current password to Dumbledore?s office? Why? 5 points.
Ton Tongue Toffee because he usually uses candy for his passwords and he?s amused by the Weasleys.

The Books: What is the current password to the Slytherin dormitory? Why? 5 points.
Dark Mark because many Slytherins are going to be allied with Voldemort.

The Books: If Petunia had been the witch instead of
Lily, would Lily have resented and despised
her sister the way Petunia despised Lily?
Explain your reasoning. 10 points.

If Petunia had been the witch, Lily wouldn't have resented despised her sister because Lily was sorted into Gryffindor based on her character (which was part of her before she learned that she was a witch and presumably would still be part of her character had she not been a witch).

The Books: Why was Lily allowed to do magic over
holidays when she was at Hogwarts? 10 points.

Because she was part of the forces fighting Voldemort and would need to be able to protect herself, fight against Voldie, and practice the skills that she would need to fight him.

The Books: Should the person who sued JKR be
hanged for delaying the release of Order of
the Phoenix? 10 points.

Yes, because that person deprived countless children of the joy of Harry Potter.

The Books: What House would each of the four
Dursleys be in? Explain your reasoning. 20 points.

Dudley - Slytherin because he has a fairly malicious personality. He's always plotting something evil to do to Harry.
Petunia - Hufflepuff because she's a follower.
Vernon - Slytherin because he does whatever he can to make Harry miserable.
Aunt Marge - Slytherin because she's full of hate for people who are different.


Things To Come: Speculation: Why is Order of the Phoenix
(the Order itself, not the book) so called? 20 points.

The Order of the Phoenix is so called because of the fact that every wizard or witch in this order possesses a phoenix feather in his or her wand. The phoenix represents demise and rebirth. The Order of the Phoenix is eternal and to enter this secret order, each member must die, then come back to life. This, the highest of all magics warrants access into the most secret of all secret societies.

The Creative Spirit:
Create a map of Hogwarts and its grounds. 60 points.
[image=http://www.geocities.com/ssj_gameguy/Image2.txt]

The Creative Spirit:
Create a complete House-based board scheme. Must include header, background,
curve, etc. May make as many as desired. 150 points.
Sample Thread
Sample Post

 

Very nice Slytherin

Not to nitpick, but wasn't a background image on the banner required.

::Runs away::

 

Yeah for Gryffindor!

 

xie, it is there. You are just having the same problem that I am and it is not loading. But if you look at it again you will notice little X marks because there should be one there.

 

I'll post later in the day. Just waiting for some last minute answers from fellow Hufflepuffs.

 

xie, it is there. You are just having the same problem that I am and it is not loading. But if you look at it again you will notice little X marks because there should be one there.

No, I'm seeing a big black box. Not the red X in the box.

 

Odd. Well my dear master and prefect made some others so I will make her post those ones also.

 

ah! my webhosting page is not working so I can't post our board schemes yet here's some other stuff for our update though:

RAVENCLAW UPDATE
SPECULATION
Speculation: Who was the real phantom menace? Explain your reasoning.10 points.

Sidious/Palpatine is the real phantom menace because, like all Sith, he operates in the shadows and allows others to do his dirty work.

HOUSE PRIDE
According to your Head of House, is the
glass half full or half empty? Explain why
s/he would think so. 10 points.

The glass is neither half empty nor half full. It is both because our clever founder understood that life was full of it's ups and downs and can seem to be half empty at times and half full at other times.

CREATIVE SPIRIT
Tell the story of the Marauders? first adventure. 20 points.

It was the beginning of second term at Hogwarts. James Potter, Peter Pettigrew and Remus Lupin, all fifth years at the school of magic, were sitting down to lunch when they're other friend, Sirius Black, came running up to them.
"James!" he called out. "I think I've figured it out!"
"Figured what out?" asked James, once Sirius had reached them.
"How to do it! Remus, when's the next time you transform?" He asked in a whisper.
"This weekend," Lupin responded promptly.
"Well then we can give it a try."
"When will you tell me what this ridiculous idea of yours is?" asked Lupin. He had no idea what the other three had been plotting for the last three years, but it sounded to him like he was about to find out.
"You'll see!" Replied Sirius with a grin.

Friday night, Remus was taken away as usual. At about midnight, Sirius, James and Peter sneaked out of their dormitories with James's Invisibility Cloak. Sirius had already explained to them his idea for their transformations. In the shadows of the Whomping Willow, they prepared themselves. Sirius offered to try first.
"I want to be a big black dog," he said enthusiastically. He muttered something to himself and tapped his chest with his wand, doing what he hoped would make him an animagus for life. He squeezed his eyes shut, and in a moment was transformed into a black dog. James and Peter gasped, hardly able to believe that they had finally figured it out. James and Peter then became their animals of choice.
They did not need to use words to communicate with one another; they knew each other well enough to be beyond that. After an hour of testing their new abilities, Sirius went to get Lupin. They had already planned out this part. Peter was to slip between the branches, as a rat, and touch the knob that would allow them to enter. Once had done so, the three Marauder's entered the tree and went quickly through the tunnel. When the were just outside the Shrieking Shack, James transformed to tell the others how they would let Lupin know who they were.
They walked into the Shack as themselves, but the moment Lupin turned and saw them, they became their three animals. Werewolf Lupin seemed rather confused, but he became quite tame after spending a few moments with the three. He then seemed to understand who they were and where he was. Sirius led them back out of the Willow to explore. They planned to use this new power while they were able. Once all four were out in the open, Lupin began to run away, still thinking with a wolvish mind. Sirius chased him, though, and soon managed to get him back under control. They then began to roam together, unable to speak but still understanding.
They began to wander around the edges of the castle, prodding different areas. They discovered two secret passages that night and many more in the following nights.
On the last night that month of Lupin's transformation, the other three were so excited about their adventures of the night that they realized they had forgotten the Invisibility Cloak. And they could hear their equivalent of Filch in the distance. They all froze, knowing what trouble they would be

 

an addition to the above update - I got one of the board schemes to work! please ignore all the ads though... I'll try to find something better to host off of. also, my completely only Ravenclaw one will be up hopefully by tonight! This one was more quidditch, and I'm assuming Madame Hooch was Ravenclaw. it's a little blurry because of the hosting too. *sigh* oh well

RAVENCLAW update

board scheme - 150 pts.
Ravenclaw Quidditch Board Scheme

 

HUFFLEPUFF ANSWERS!!!! (yay!)

The Books:

What is the current password to Dumbledore's office? Why? 5 points.

Jelly Slugs. Dumbledore will keep to the tradition of candy names for the reason that he knows that Harry knows (and wants Harry to know) about his pattern. The kid needs help often and Dumbledore would want to give him some help when he needs it.

What is the current password to the Hufflepuff dormitory? Why? 5 points.

Remembercedric. Just a way to remember Cedric, and if it seems too obvious that other people can break in, they still don't know where the common room is .

What is the current password to the Ravenclaw dormitory? Why? 5 points.

readabook. Just what Ravenclaws do all the time.

What is the current password to the Slytherin dormitory? Why? 5 points

Pureblood. Another example of how evil people are.

What is the current password to the Gryffindor dormitory? Why? 5 points.

Patronum. Its a spell that takes bravery and that's what the house is all about.

Give a quote from The Prisoner of Azkaban that is so integral to the plot that taking it out would make the book no longer be the same? Explain your reasoning behind your choice. 10 points

"That's not a rat." If he was a rat, then the entire ending of the book would change.

Give a quote from the Goblet of Fire that is so integral to the plot that taking it out would make the book no longer be the same? Explain your reasoning behind your choice. 10 points.

"Harry Potter." If Harry's name hadn't come out of the goblet, then he wouldn't have been in the Triwizard tournament.

Are wizards inherently "better" (choose any definition of the word you wish) than muggles? Expalin your reasoning. 10 points.

No, they are just given a special gift. Just like if someone is a genius and everything comes easy to them doesn't mean that they are any better than a stupid person that works hard.

Describe the circumstances behind Vernon and Petunia's first date. 10 points.

They had known each other for along time but never really talked. One day, Vernon got enough courage to ask her out to dinner. The dinner was lousey and it was the waiters first time waiting. Afterwards, they complained to the manager and got 3 people in the kitchen plus the waiter fired. They've been in love ever since.

How did Hagrid come across Aragog? 10 points.

He was going on a regular visit into the Dark Forest when he came upon a werewolf pack ganging up on a small little spider (small in Hagrid's eyes, Aragog was 3 feet tall). He rescued the spider, but it had been wounded in the eye, so he took it to the castle to take care of it. They became good friends.

JKR has yet to mention that werewolves are allergic to silver. Are werewolves in the HP-verse adverse to silver? Why or Why not? Explain your reasoning. 20 points.

Yes, JKR does not write things that hold no purpose in the later books. Turning Peter's hand into silver was no accident. His future lies entangled with that of everyone's favorite werewolf, Lupin.

THINGS TO COME:

Speculation: Will Harry go back to the Burrow? If so, what are the circumstances behind his return? If not, why not? Explain your reasoning. 15 points.

Yes, Harry will return to the Burrow. Circumstances will be similar to that of the Prisoner of Azkaban when Sirius was thought to be chasing Harry. With an even greater and darker wizard after Harry, the ministry will have no choice but to place Harry in the care of an all-wizards family, namely the Weasleys.

Speculation: We saw the power of the Sorting Hat in the Chamber of Secrets. Will we see any more of its power in the books to come? Why of Why not? Explain your reasoning. 15 points.

Yes. In an interview JKR said that "there is more to the sorting hat than what you have read about in the first 3 books. Readers will find out what the sorting hat becomes as they get into future books." Since there isn't much in the fourth book, the sorting hat will be in the remaining books.

HOUSE PRIDE:

Why are your House colors the ones they are? 10

 

Excuse the grammatical errors .

 

Yeah for the Gryffindors!

 

oops... I forgot to upload the backgrounds. Sorry guys.

*chases xie for the fun of it and because I like to run *

I can't get into the webhosting account that I originally used to put up the pics, so I just uploaded them to my *cough*dear*cough* sister's webspace which she was *cough* *hack* gracious enough to let me use... Wow, that was hard to get out.

Anyways, here's our updated roster and the links to the images (which won't look right not in the whole scheme, but there's nothing I can really do about it until I get my webhosting account working or make another one and reupload everything...):

Slytherin
Mara-Jade-Skywalker - Prefect
DarthCrambette - Prefect until Otto returns
lumberjedi
Talon_Karrde_
Obi-Zahn Kenobi
stevo
Jobo
YouAgain - Prefect
nashira
Otto_den_Ktulu - Prefect (temporarily away)

young_padme has expressed an interest in joining... I'll add her to the roster if Liz approves.

Slytherin task update (reposted in full for Liz's sanity's sake. ):
The Books: What is the current password to Dumbledore?s office? Why? 5 points.
Ton Tongue Toffee because he usually uses candy for his passwords and he?s amused by the Weasleys.

The Books: What is the current password to the Slytherin dormitory? Why? 5 points.
Dark Mark because many Slytherins are going to be allied with Voldemort.

The Books: If Petunia had been the witch instead of
Lily, would Lily have resented and despised
her sister the way Petunia despised Lily?
Explain your reasoning. 10 points.

If Petunia had been the witch, Lily wouldn't have resented despised her sister because Lily was sorted into Gryffindor based on her character (which was part of her before she learned that she was a witch and presumably would still be part of her character had she not been a witch).

The Books: Why was Lily allowed to do magic over holidays when she was at Hogwarts? 10 points.

Because she was part of the forces fighting Voldemort and would need to be able to protect herself, fight against Voldie, and practice the skills that she would need to fight him.

The Books: Should the person who sued JKR be
hanged for delaying the release of Order of
the Phoenix? 10 points.

Yes, because that person deprived countless children of the joy of Harry Potter.

The Books: What House would each of the four
Dursleys be in? Explain your reasoning. 20 points.

Dudley - Slytherin because he has a fairly malicious personality. He's always plotting something evil to do to Harry.
Petunia - Hufflepuff because she's a follower.
Vernon - Slytherin because he does whatever he can to make Harry miserable.
Aunt Marge - Slytherin because she's full of hate for people who are different.


Things To Come: Speculation: Why is Order of the Phoenix
(the Order itself, not the book) so called? 20 points.

The Order of the Phoenix is so called because of the fact that every wizard or witch in this order possesses a phoenix feather in his or her wand. The phoenix represents demise and rebirth. The Order of the Phoenix is eternal and to enter this secret order, each member must die, then come back to life. This, the highest of all magics warrants access into the most secret of all secret societies.

The Creative Spirit:
Create a map of Hogwarts and its grounds. 60 points.
[image=http://www.geocities.com/ssj_gameguy/Image2.txt]

The Creative Spirit:
Create a complete House-based board scheme. Must include header, background,
curve, etc. May make as many as desired. 150 points.
Sample Thread
Sample Post

Links to the background images (reason why they're separate explained above)
This goes to the first scheme, I believe
And this would be the second.


How's that?

 

Hey guys! I joined Slytherin tonight and I was told to post in the thread to make it official. So is it official now? Since I joined is there anything special I need to do?

 

final RAVENCLAW update (hopefully)

HOUSE PRIDE
What would be an apt nickname for your
House's Quidditch team? 10 points.
Well, since the House is called Ravenclaw, they could be nicknamed The Ravens. Or they could be called Eagles because an Eagle or Hawk is on the House Crest.

The CREATIVE SPIRIT
Make a House motto. Note: this must be
either a direct or slightly modified quote
from any of the six HP books or from any
SW book, comic, or movie. 15 points
"Ravenclaw is a house of wit and superior intellect."

Create a Sphinx Riddle. 40 points answer: Gabrielle

First think of a word that
is a synonym of chat.
Next tell me what is the first two things in risk,
near the beginning of friend, but not part of tisk.
Finally, give me a word not seen in English,
but common in the land where boullabaise is a dish.
So tell me the person who nearly drowned
because her sister came up too early to the ground.

Create a complete House-based board
scheme. Must include header, background,
curve, etc. May make as many as desired. 150 points.
Ravenclaw board scheme

 

Wooh! Congrats to everyone!!

LittleJedi