The Hogwarts Blog

Subject: At Long Last

To all new students: Welcome to Hogwarts! To all those returning: Welcome back!

It goes without saying that this year will be a strange one for many students--not because of any unusual happenings or sinister plots brewing, but because of the lack thereof. (If any of you first-year students don't know about the recent defeat of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, rest assured that one of the older students in your House will tell you about it before the week is over.)

The Second War may be over, but there is always the chance of another war beginning. All we must do to begin another war is forget the lessons we have learned from this one. Remember the war. Remember those who gave their lives to end it. Remember the high cost of peace, and perhaps we will be spared from paying it again.

Have a wonderful year.

Posted by: Minerva McGonagall

Our Little Corner of the Internet

When Faith and Fear Collide

Faith and Fear

I know the school blog is safe again, but using this blog is easier.

For once, the Welcoming Feast was peaceful--no expanded security or constant threat of Death Eaters crashing the party; only dozens of first years entering the Hall, hearing the Sorting Hat's new song, and being placed in their Houses before joining the feast.

The Hat's song, too, was different. During times of peace, it tells the virtues of each House--and the apparent lack thereof in Slytherin. During times of war, it encourages students to look past House differences and unify. But this time, it sang about the friendships of the four founders, encouraging the students to restore those friendships, even though over eleven centuries have passed.

After the feast, I gave a short speech honoring those who had helped rebuild and those who had died in battle, then allowed the students to go to their Houses. Nothing was stranger than seeing Gryffindors and Slytherins talking as they left the Hall. While in previous years they almost went out of their way to ignore each other, now they seemed to go out of their way to socialize.

Then again, I suppose there are some things that are impossible to do without becoming friends, and defeating YKW is one of them.

GooGooDolls4Ever: 'Ello!

PenguinsRFun: Hey Mione! How is Hogwarts?

GooGooDolls4Ever: Weird. Lonely without you guys.

MeAgainstTheWorld: Glad you miss us.

GooGooDolls4Ever: Is Millicent on?

MiseryBusiness: Hi!

GooGooDolls4Ever: Millie, I just wanted to tell you that your brother is weird.

BeWereTheSister: Why, thank you, Hermione!

MiseryBusiness: Not funny, Matt.

BeWereTheSister: What, the username?

MiseryBusiness: DUH!!

PenguinsRFun: So...what's happened so far at Hogwarts, Mione?

GooGooDolls4Ever: Compared to the past seven years? Not much. No three-headed dogs, no basilisks, no dementors...

MeAgainstTheWorld: No YKW?

GooGooDolls4Ever: Nope. No YKW.

BeWereTheSister: No Carrows, either.

GooGooDolls4Ever: Yeah...it's weird.

MeAgainstTheWorld: Moody is the DADA teacher, right?

BeWereTheSister: Yeah.

PenguinsRFun: The fake Moody was a good teacher--is the real one better?

GooGooDolls4Ever: WAY better. Better than Snape by far.

BeWereTheSister: I liked Snape. He was cool before he turned psycho.

GooGooDolls4Ever: He didn't like me.

MeAgainstTheWorld: He was on our side all along, you know.

BeWereTheSister: He was?

MiseryBusiness: Really?

MeAgainstTheWorld: Yeah. I guess he was just really good at hiding it.

BeWereTheSister: Yeah. REALLY good.

YouCanCallMeE: So how's Hogwarts?

PressingOn: Weird.

YouCanCallMeE: How so?

PressingOn: I don't know...I guess it's mostly because all the Houses are getting along for once.

YouCanCallMeE: Sounds nice.

PressingOn: It is. That, and there's no constant threat from YKW...

YouCanCallMeE: And no Carrows.

PressingOn: That's probably the best part.

YouCanCallMeE: lol.

PressingOn: I miss Colin, though.

YouCanCallMeE: So do I.

PressingOn: He would've liked the new, weirder Hogwarts.

YouCanCallMeE: Yeah. He would've.