DISCLAIMER: Potterworld or Droobledore LLC is not in any way affiliated with Mojang AB, J.K. Rowling, Warner Brothers or any company, copyright or trademark.
PotterworldMC PotterworldMC PotterworldMC

The Daily Diviner - Issue 48

Status
Not open for further replies.

The Daily Diviner

New Magician
Staff
#1
St. Merlin’s Build and Rising Healer!
Feature
Written by joyellen
Edited by bluecherub

Welcome back amazing readers to issue 48 of the Daily Diviner! In this issue, we will be exploring the exciting new St. Merlin’s build and the Rising Healer questline that comes along with it. The St. Merlin’s build and questline have been in the works for a while now, since work on the build started in June of this year. In this article, I will be discussing details of the build and talking to Max and Chailey, the Build and Game Design leaders on this project, about all things St. Merlin’s and Rising Healer!

What is the St. Merlin’s build?

St. Merlin’s is a magical hospital located in London that can be visited by all! The old hospital build has been there for a while now, and can still be accessed by visiting King’s Cross and travelling west. You can visit the inside of the hospital by heading down one of London’s paved streets, and, hidden behind a store window, is a mannequin with an outstretched hand. If you choose to take its hand, you will be teleported to the inside of the renowned St. Merlin’s! Upon your visit, you will find that the hospital is filled with old school charm, however, it is certain that St. Merlin’s is in need of a revamp, and it is so exciting that it is finally getting one!

So far, there have been two teasers of the hospital, offering players an exciting preview of what’s next for the oldest wizarding hospital in Great Britain. From taking just one glance at the teasers, it is clear that the hospital has been given massive improvements and upgrades. The interior features much more detail and is larger in comparison to the old build. Additionally, the teasers stated that there will be a multitude of rooms and corridors for players to explore, which the old build lacked, as many of its rooms barred players’ entry.

To learn more about the build and the process of its creation, I had the pleasure of interviewing Max, the Sr. Architect who led the build!

Where did you get inspiration from for the St. Merlin’s build? Did you look at other hospitals or did you take inspiration from the old build?
“I started building St. Merlin’s in late 2017 for the 2018 Saint Patrick’s event. I was trying to base it off the few artworks that were made originally for the 5th movie. Earlier this year, I wanted to get back into building it, and realized the partial version we had was very outdated. We decided to revamp the entire thing. It doesn’t look anything like the old one. We didn’t really look too much at other hospitals; we just decided to go for a majestic feel. This time, we actually made the entire building so everyone could explore it all.”

What was the process like for creating this build? Did you and your team have a specific vision for the build before you began or did you gain more ideas for the hospital as you built it?
“I started off alone by copying the old version and trying to make it look better and more up to our standards. Then I asked for a bigger team to help me create the interiors as it is not my strongest suit. Once I had set the overall layout, we went and tried a few things until we thought it looked the best.”

What are the differences between the old build and the St. Merlin’s build?
“The old one was not finished; only one floor was accessible in addition to the lobby area. The new one is fully built from the basement to the roof, with functioning elevators. It’s way more majestic than the very claustrophobic old one.”

What were the easiest and most challenging aspects of building St. Merlin’s?
“The easiest part of building St Merlin’s was, for me, the overall layout, but it also came with a big challenge: it’s size. The new hospital is very big, and at some point it was quite daunting and overwhelming.”

Any additional comments?
“I want to thank all the team members of the Build Team that helped with the project, as it was one close to my heart. I’m very proud of what we built. Cannot wait for players to see it and play in it with the new content.”

I would love to give a big thanks to Max for the interview! Clearly, the St. Merlin’s build is a large-scale project unlike anything we’ve seen before on the server. The detail and thought that went into the build is truly amazing, and I cannot wait to explore the magical hospital when it is released!

Despite the St. Merlin’s build being a substantial project in and of itself, there is even more to look forward to! The Rising Healer questline is a brand new questline, partially taking place in the new build, that features a load of original content and storyline.

To learn more about Rising Healer, I interviewed Chailey, the High Unspeakable who designed and developed the quests.

Can you describe what the Rising Healer questline is? Is there a storyline for it?
“Rising Healer follows the relationship between the player and the main character named Via Oxley. There is an ongoing storyline that is developed as you learn about Via's goals, past, family, and so much more. Throughout their years at Hogsworth, the player will not only watch Via in her journey with medical magic, but will also learn the art of healing themselves.”

How many quests will be a part of the Rising Healer questline? And will these quests be long in length or shorter in length?
“There are 6 quests, and they vary in length. For the most part, the quests are moderate to long.”

What year level will these quests be in? Will the quests at St. Merlin’s be a part of a chronicle, or will they span across year levels, like the Relics of the Past questline?
“These quests span across the middle of Hogsworth Age until Graduate. Exact levels are still being determined. The quests are mostly centralized in Hogsworth towards the beginning, but the player will venture to Hogsend and Tristmoor during some. However, the final quest takes place in St. Merlin's entirely.”

What were the easiest and most challenging aspects of working on the Rising Healer questline? And why?
“The easiest aspect for me was the initial development of the storyline. Back in February, I sat down with a vague concept and spent about 2-3 weeks straight developing an interesting story with character development and engaging interactions. This was then followed by intertwining quality gameplay that is not only challenging and interesting, but also truly immerses the players into Via's life.

The most challenging aspect has probably been a mix of two things. The first is the actual development of the tech in the game, and whilst I can't reveal much about the process, I would just like to say that creating content in the technical aspect is more difficult than one would expect. The second was more self-inflicted, as I have been working on this project by myself (within the Unspeakable team). This obviously excludes the phenomenal work from the other teams, such as the skins (Arithmancers), spells and mobs (Engineers), and builds (Build team).
Due to the complexity of the project, involving other Unspeakables to build or work on storyline would have been quite challenging; therefore, I mainly just consulted with people for their opinions. This definitely started to wear on me towards the middle, as working on the same project for about 8 months can take a toll on you. Despite everything, I am so beyond proud of the work I have created and could not have gotten this far without my friends and fellow staff members being there for me.”

Any additional comments?
“I just want to leave off by thanking everyone who has helped me in this process and to tell everyone this: This questline will be many things. Interesting, sometimes confusing, sometimes frustrating, and hopefully an incredible experience. I can't wait for everyone to be able to play this, and I hope you all enjoy it when it is released!”

I would also love to extend a big thanks to Chailey for the interview. Rising Healer sounds like an incredible and unique questline that I’m sure players will love! Through talking to Chailey, it is clear that the development of the questline was complex and challenging, and it is amazing what has been accomplished.

I am positive that the St. Merlin’s build and Rising Healer questline will be remarkable when they are released and cannot contain my excitement for them! Make sure to keep an eye out for any more information regarding the build or the questline. Thank you, lovely readers, for tuning into this edition of the Daily Diviner. This has been Joy, Happy Halloween!
 

The Daily Diviner

New Magician
Staff
#2
Weekly Academic Assignments!
Editorial
Written by bea_5OOOO
Edited by _xHope

Hello readers, and welcome back to the Daily Diviner Editorial Column! As many of you may know, every week the Academics department releases a new assignment on the website for players to complete. Today, I’ll be taking you all along with me for a deep dive into the Academics Weekly Assignments.

What are they?

These assignments are a way for professors to display some of their lesson ideas on the website. Each week a different assignment is posted, where players get the chance to learn about this new topic. From there, players can complete an assignment based on a prompt given along with the assignment. These also allow newer players to sort of see what class assignments might be like, depending on the class. They also give players a chance to complete assignments on their own time, without having to worry about getting it done during an allotted class time.

How do these assignments work?

In order to submit an assignment, players can navigate to the bottom of the assignment page and find a link to the submission area. From there, they can re-look through the information and prompt, and then write up their assignment. If submitted by the given due date (this should be located on the assignment), players can earn up to twenty AC for their assignment! Although players should note, if you don’t complete all of the requirements, you will not be able to complete it. As well as that, assignments also must be written by the player, and need to follow all Potterworld rules.

What’s this week's assignment?

This week’s assignment is a Magical Career Exploration assignment, based on Unmagical Experts, created by Arne(tqrpiar). This week’s players, like you! Can navigate over to the assignment on the website and read all about Unmagical Experts. Once you’re done you have the chance to write at least five sentences on what you would do if you were one of these experts. Make sure to read more about it on the post! (If you plan on sending in a submission, make sure to get it in by 12am PST on Sunday the 24th, in order to get it graded and earn ac!)

In summary, The Academic Weekly Assignments are a chance for players to learn something new and complete an assignment all about the topic every week! Like always, thank you for stopping by dear readers, and I hope you all have a fantastic day and good luck to everyone planning on completing this week's assignment!
 

The Daily Diviner

New Magician
Staff
#3
Griffins Take Victory
Editorial
Written by Ivy_Winter
Edited by mckennq

Hello lovely readers, and welcome back to the Editorial column of the Daily Diviner! As many of you may know, the third and most recent House Cup quarter ended on September 27th. Now that it has been three months since the House Cup was last won, previously by the Honeybadgers, it is time to award the next victorious house with the cup! It was announced on September 28th that the Honeybadgers had came in fourth with 13,264 House points, the Serpents had came in third with 15,338 House points, the Ravens had came in second with 22,478 House points, and the Griffins had came in first with a total of 23,254 House points, thus making them the winners of the House Cup for the third quarter!

After the announcement was released, we had the opportunity to interview Lead Arena Master Salmandingo. He was able to comment on the Griffins and their recent victory.

What does being a Griffin mean to you?
Salmandingo: “Being a Griffin is all about growth for me. I am very passionate about working on improving my characteristics, especially bravery and determination. I tend to overthink a lot, and I hesitate too much for my own good. Being a Griffin is about overcoming my fears and being more flexible & determined.”

What do you most enjoy about being a Griffin?
Salmandingo: “I enjoy the people! Being a Griffin is like being in one big & close family. I enjoy the time I spend with my fellow Griffins, and the memories we create. No matter what, we always stick by each other through thick and thin and that's what I believe makes our bond special!”

What do you think about this recent victory? Do you believe that the Griffins have earned it?
Salmandingo: “I believe that the Griffins earned it fully. We had a goal in mind, and worked very hard every day of the season in order to achieve it. It wouldn't have been possible without everyone's determination and efforts! I am extremely proud of each and every single Griffin, but I am also very proud of the Ravens! I admire their patience and teamwork, as they gave us a real challenge! I'm equally as proud of their efforts as I am of the Griffin's efforts.”

How can the Griffins maintain a lead for future House Cup victories?
Salmandingo: “They must continue working together: Teaming up for chest runs, going together to challenges & tournaments, and always having a friend to work with! Grinding House points alone is a difficult and lonely task, and being with friends makes it a lot more fun! With that, I believe the Griffins can maintain a solid lead moving forward.”

What are some strategies you’d recommend to students for earning House Points?
Salmandingo: “I'd advise them to practice their flying, parkour, dueling, & writing skills to generally get better at classes & challenges. After that, try to find something you are good at, and master it so you can consistently get House points! For example, if you notice that you are pretty decent at flying, practice that more often so you could perform consistently well in flying classes & challenges.”

Are there any final comments you’d like to make/inspiring words to anyone who joins Griffins?
Salmandingo: “Never hesitate to reach out to a fellow Griffin for help! We're all here to support one another and lift ourselves up.”

We were also able to speak to chail3y to comment on the House Cup going to Griffins this quarter.

What do you like about being a part of your house?
chail3y: “I like being a part of Ravens because it's a great community of intelligent, creative, and ingenuious people which you will never get bored being a part of.”

How do you feel about this victory? Did they deserve this victory?
chail3y: “I am extremely proud of how hard both the Griffins and Ravens worked. Surprisingly, I am not even disappointed that we lost. Instead, I am more determined to beat the Griffins this upcoming quarter. I do think they deserved to win because they worked extremely hard for it.”

What can your house do for the next cup to stay ahead?
chail3y: “I think that in order for us to stay ahead, we need to not lose focus. While it may be easy to get a bit lazy or not do your dailies for a few days, staying diligent is the best way to do it. Go get those O+s, play minigames together, and attend tournaments. If we don't ease up, and we keep up the amazing work, I know that we can and will win.”

Are there any final comments you’d like to add?
chail3y: “To the Ravens: Stay wise, stay amazing, stay creative. I know a lot of you are disappointed, but let that be a fleeting thought as we band together to win this. To the Griffins: Congratulations on your win, I'm proud of your efforts. But savour it because that win will be your last for a while. Xoxo.”

Congratulations again to the Griffins for winning the house cup this season! Additionally, I would like to thank Salmandingo and chail3y for their time and responses. A reminder that the fourth House Cup quarter of the year ends on December 27th, so go out and have fun earning House points! This has been Ivy_Winter reporting for the Daily Diviner.
 

The Daily Diviner

New Magician
Staff
#4
Aaron’s Renders
Student Spotlight
Written by Creme_de_Creme
Edited by kvmw

Hello lovely readers! Welcome back to the Daily Diviner's Student Spotlight column, where we highlight Potterworld's passionate roleplayers, devoted collectors, pragmatic business owners, and more! This week, I had the privilege to interview Aarooncia, who goes by Aaron. He's a graduate Griffin who's also a dedicated Dark Follower, Werewolf, and fantastic artist who makes beautiful renders! I was lucky enough to get the chance to get to know more about him.

What is your favorite quest or event and why?
Quest wise, I'm a really big fan of the Relics of the Past series. Events wise, I always look forward to the Winter Waltz event! I always love celebrating Christmas with my family due to the festivity and decorations.
Aaron is a known renderer on Potterworld. He has submitted many lovely renders for PW-tober. I was able to ask him more about his rendering experience and skills.

How did you get into rendering?
When I first rejoined Potterworld back in December of 2019, I was browsing through the forums and admiring all the wonderful signatures everybody had with renders in them. I thought it was super cool and wanted to get one for myself. About a month later I got one from a friend and I immediately knew I wanted to learn myself. At the time I was busy with a lot of school stuff and once my schedule cleared up a few months later is when I began to learn. I tried a few different ways and was struggling a lot. I remember getting a lot of help from Sunnya, and eventually Rani. I began going to Rani more often because Sunnya began to get busy with media work, and at that point she was basically my instructor. From there she then introduced me to the person who taught her, and that was really how it all started. From there was when I really started to majorly improve every day.

What was your first render like? How did you get your skills to where they are now?
(Below) was my very first render. While I wasn't using the same character rig I use now (and the one that most Potterworld renders use) it was still pretty horrendous. I'd say a lot of improvement came from constant practice, and I don't mean that lightly. I stayed up much later than I should have into the nights, rendering. The reason being was because it was hard to get a good time to learn more due to timezones. With consistent practice of posing, camera positioning, and lighting, I was able to drastically improve.

What is your favorite render that you’ve submitted to PW-tober and why?
My favorite render for PW-tober was definitely Day #3's theme, Choco Hop Cards. This was the result. I'd say the reason it's my favorite is because of all the different aspects of rendering such as important models, importing builds, and unique camera angles.
DD Article Graphic.png


Are you looking forward to any prompts for PW-tober? Which ones?
I'd say I'm most looking forward to the Scarecrow prompt, and Sea Creature prompt, mostly because I have a few funny ideas for both. I have been a little off of my game lately and missed a few prompts due to school, but I'm looking forward to hopefully being able to continue with them!

What made you want to start your own rendering academy?
A few friends of mine were also getting interested in rendering, and I originally created a blank server for them to watch a stream and they could upload files, but it really became much more than that. People began inviting others, and it slowly grew.

How does your rendering academy work?
There are a few channels with resources, including software I recommended, and short guides and tutorials written by myself and others on more advanced concepts. It's also a place to share your renders, and take inspiration.

Do you have any tips for people wanting to begin learning how to render?
As cliché as it sounds, the best thing to do when learning is not to give up, and practice a lot! At first, the software can seem really overwhelming, and for the most part, it is. There's a lot of different components that aren't really for Minecraft rendering, and it can be pretty easy to be pushed away at first. A great way to learn is to use resources like the Art Discord for help! You can see other people's renders for inspiration, ask questions, and render together with your friends. The way to start is by taking your time with it, don't rush the process! It takes a while before you get used to the basic controls of things.

Any additional comments?
#ApplyForArithmancer!!

I would like to thank Aaron for his time. Be sure to check out the Potterworld Art Discord, if you aren’t already in it! Potterworld has created its own version of Inktober, and all players are welcome to join! Any renders, drawings, or various other art forms that are submitted to the PW-tober channel will be entered into the Raffle where you can win a pet ghost OR a Jack-O-Lantern hat along with 700 Potter Points. If you find that you really enjoy making art, take a look at the open applications on Potterworld’s website and consider applying. Have a wonderfully spooky day! This has been Creme_de_Creme reporting for the Daily Diviner.

Do you know anyone on the server that stands out (cool housing, a museum, active in RP, do something cool outside of PW, etc.)? Nominate them here for a chance to be our next Student Spotlight!
 

The Daily Diviner

New Magician
Staff
#5
Howloween
Lifestyle
Written by ohKeira
Edited by Calliequeen

Hello everyone and welcome back to this Lifestyle Column! As most of us know, October is known as “spooky season”, but why? The short answer is Halloween! Back when the Celtics lived over 2,000 years ago, mostly in an area that is now Ireland, they celebrated New Years on November 1st. They believed that this was the time when summer and harvest ended, and the cold winter started. Celts believed that on the night before the new year, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred. On the night of October 31, they celebrated Samhain, or Halloween when it was believed that the ghosts of the dead returned to earth.

Although it has some bone-chilling origins, that doesn’t mean it isn’t a fun night. Most kids and teenagers, even some adults dress up in different costumes, whether it’s your favorite character, food, or even as yourself! In costume, some people go around for what is called Trick-or-Treating. Years and years ago, on Halloween, people would even give you a treat (which would be some sort of sweet) or a trick (which would be a sort of prank). Although most people don’t continue with that nowadays, people still go around to various houses hoping to get something yummy to eat.

With all the fun dressing up and going around getting candy, some people can miss out on amazing sights to see- monsters. Ghosts, Vampires, Werewolves, and much more love to come out on Halloween!

Ghosts are the imprint of the soul of a once-living wizard or witch, and as such, a type of spirit. In some instances, animals can become ghosts too, though it is on rare occasions. Unmagicals can rarely see ghosts. They look like humans but are transparent and silver-colored. Ghosts can’t touch or feel anything, though they can go through walls and solid objects. They are known to be extremely mischievous.. A few well-known ghosts are Hestia Raven, Sobbing Susie, and Carnage Count! On Halloween, ghosts are exposed to lots of people, so they have to be very careful while out at night. One thing they should stay away from is magical light sources, like Lumen, which repel them away from the caster, forcing them to retreat. They should also keep an eye out for mirrors, such as Haunted Mirrors which they can be bound to. As well as staying safe, they have to also have fun! Going to parties and playing light-hearted pranks are just a few of these ways.

While ghosts are the imprint of a soul, this next monster is quite literally living-death. Vampires are dark, magical humanoids that were famed for sucking blood. They are part of the living death family, along with zombies! Vampires are known to have extremely pale skin with little to no pigment. They have black or red eyes and super sharp fangs to suck blood. These creatures are highly parasitic and have very dangerous natures compared to the other magical monsters of the Wizarding World. There aren’t many well-known vampires, though one of them is Oscuro Lesot. A huge problem with vampires is that they can’t go out during the light, so on Halloween be sure to not come out until after sunset. They should also watch out for garlic, or anything garlic flavored or scented, such as candies or traps to keep vampires away. Even with the risks, it doesn’t mean there aren’t a lot of things they can do on Halloween! Vampires can play with other monsters, whether it’s trick-or-treating or even racing, especially with their exceptional speed it would make for some fun things to do during the spooky night.

Although Vampires are very dangerous, Werewolves are definitely a close comparison. Werewolves are human beings who, upon the complete rising of the full moon, became uncontrollable wolves. This condition was caused by infection with lycanthropy, or being bit by another werewolf. Werewolves and wolves are a bit similar, but they have clear differences. Werewolves have shorter snouts and more human-like eyes. They have tufted tails and are more aggressive and vicious than regular wolves. A big thing on Halloween is to watch out for the full moon, especially if they didn’t take Lycanthrope Liquid before going outside. Werewolves also have to watch out for the Aurorlocks, which categorize them as XXXXX in their full moon form, though this doesn’t mean they can’t have fun! They can have fun by having friendly competitions, such as who can push a tree furthest, or who can scratch through certain materials faster, as long as they are in control of course.

This wraps up our article for today! I hope you all have an amazing Halloween, and make sure to stay safe. Watch out for ghosts, vampires, werewolves, or any other creatures, and have fun while doing it!. This is Keira, signing off!
 

The Daily Diviner

New Magician
Staff
#6
Trick-or-Treat: Where should you go?
Lifestyle
Written by Ivy_Winter
Edited by LittleI

Hello lovely readers, and welcome back to the Lifestyle Column. Today we will be talking about where you should and should not trick-or-treat, the pros and cons of trick-or-treating, and the history of Halloween and trick-or-treating. Let us begin by exploring the history of Halloween.

Halloween can be traced back to 9th century Ireland and Celtic Britain. Samhain was a massive influence on Halloween. On Samhain, it is believed that the spirits of the dead will return to haunt the living. Thus, villagers would disguise themselves in costumes made of animal hides to frighten the spirits. Now, let us discuss another massive influence on Halloween: All Souls Day! All Souls Day -Taking place on November 2nd- was a day in which the poor wear costumes and receive cakes known as Soul Cakes. In some parts of the world, both holidays are still celebrated today!

On the subject of trick-or-treating, there are certainly some Pros and Cons to it. The pros are: you get sweets, it is an excuse to dress up as anything, and lastly, you can make the night your own and have fun doing it. The cons are: it tends to be a bit pricey with sweets and costumes, it can be a little too spooky for young children, and it is a lot of sugar. Now it is time to tell you lovely readers where you should and should not visit while trick-or-treating around the world.

So you may be asking yourself, “Where should I trick-or-treat?” Well, I will gladly share that information with you. I have picked three of the best towns to visit on Halloween night! The first place you should visit is London. London is a big city, so there are plenty of houses to visit and get sweets from. The second town I recommend you to visit would be Walden, especially East Walden. East Walden has bigger mansion-type houses, meaning you have a greater chance of getting larger sweets! You could also visit West Walden, but I recommend going to East Walden for better sweets. The last town I recommend you visit is Griffins Hollow. I chose this town because of its similarities to Walden. With Griffins Hollow, it is split into different parts so there is lots to explore. These three towns I handpicked because I knew they have a good-sized community for this nightly activity.

While there are some excellent places to trick-or-treat, there are also some subpar places. The first place being, Haggelton. Not a lot of people live in Haggleton, making it a poor spot to trick-or-treat. Let us also not forget to mention that Haggelton has a lot of mud which could ruin your costume. Another place that you should not trick-or-treat at would be Eldham Ridge, one of many reasons is because it is on a mountain. Another reason would be, Eldram Ridge has a small community. The final place I would not recommend would be Riddleyard, only because there you would have to watch out for the vampires. While the three towns seem like great places to trick-or-treat, that does not mean that it is always the right place. I picked these three towns because I knew that they were small and were poor choices.

There are many towns on Potterworld with some good and bad places to visit. Here are some alternative places to visit. One place you could try visiting is Wigtown. I do not recommend it because of the amount of snow that often covers the town. Another place you could try to trick-or-treat at would be Squalus Cove because there is a higher chance of getting saltwater taffy. The town is neither too big nor too small: it is a good-sized community. The last place you can try to trick-or-treat at would be Gnollberg Port. I say this because the ships at the docks could bring in sweets from various places. Also, there is the sweets factory right next to the town. These are just some alternative places you could visit on Halloween night.

With there being a handful of towns around the world, it is hard to discern the very best from the very worst. This is because while the towns I picked may be good options, they may also have flaws. Conversely, the towns I deemed poor choices might well have advantages. Every town has positive and negative attributes: no town is inherently better than another. Well, lovely readers, I wish everyone a happy and safe Halloween, go out and have fun! Reporting for the Daily Diviner, this has been Ivy_Winter.
 

The Daily Diviner

New Magician
Staff
#7
Friendly Frights
Original Works
Written by Silquer
Edited by snotflower

Halloween was a special time for most ghosts. The whole month prior to the spooky day was spent in restless excitement, preparing classrooms and hallways in the scariest decorations they had. When Halloween came at last, the entire day was spent spooking unsuspecting students, sometimes earning a shriek, other times a bark of laughter. Either way, most ghosts of Hogsworth found simple joy on this day, where they were appreciated just for existing.

However, some ghosts preferred to stay away from the students, for one reason or another. One such ghost dog, on a cool Halloween morning, found itself hiding beneath a table in the Great Hall. Breakfast had just begun and ghosts were already flying about in their most garish clothes, peeking out from the walls, paintings, and even food itself.

No more, the ghost dog decided then and there. No longer would it hide beneath tables, inside closets, or in the dungeons. This year, it would make friends! Such was its excitement that it stood up on all four paws and gave a great, happy bark, leaping out from under the table and— oh.

Students cried out in shock at the sudden appearance of a ghost dog, and its excitement tapered away to shame. Students looked on in scorn, annoyed by its presence, and it took the hint. It floated off the table and slunk away out of sight, away from the Great Hall and all of its potential friends.

It hid in the dungeons for a few hours, watching students go by, growing more and more jealous as it saw humanoid ghosts of every background spook and scare their way into favour with first years and seventh years alike. So it stood from its secluded corner and floated into the nearest classroom, a rudimentary potions introduction.

Within was a class of Serpents, and at the head, a severe-looking Potions Master. The ghost dog waited for a lull in the work, then snuck underneath the tables, into a cauldron… and vwoom! Out it came from the cauldron, barking in the faces of the students gathered around the table.

For a moment, it was almost scared it would get the same scornful looks as in the Great Hall. But after the initial shock passed, the class broke out into giggles, and the ghost bounced happily around the room, weaving between legs and cauldrons, until—

“Little ghost, what do you think you’re doing?” The professor scolded. It stopped and faced the professor, ears flattening and tail between its legs. The old Potions Master continued, “I’m trying to run a class here, so please, save the scares for dinner.”

Feeling properly cowed, the ghost shuffled out of the classroom and into the dungeons once more. Finding that its ghostly legs led it to the second floor, it promptly collapsed onto the ground with its head on its paws.

Hours passed, and the ghost dog knew dinner had already started, but it didn’t care; it was too dejected to bother. Who would want to be friends with a ghost dog, anyway?

That was when it heard something echoing in the halls. Its head lifted off its paws, ears perking up. Was that sniffling it heard?

It stood, stretched, and followed the sniffles with its sharp ears. It found a boy, most likely a first-year student, crying in a corner with his back pressed against a wall.

The little ghost dog’s heart broke for the student, for no one deserved to be alone on Halloween night. With that realization came a new determination, and it sank into the ground, hiding from the boy, before popping up in front of him with a ghostly bark.

The boy startled, and in his surprise, stopped crying. The dog wagged its tail, and suddenly, the student burst out laughing, reaching out a hand to scratch the dog’s ears (before remembering it was a ghost).

Then the boy began to talk about his day, his loneliness, his struggle to make friends… So the ghost settled down on the floor to listen, offering a bit of comfort in the cold night. It was the start of a great partnership that would last for many more Halloweens to come.
 

The Daily Diviner

New Magician
Staff
#8
Discovering Halloween’s Magic
Original Works
Written by kvmw
Edited by bluecherub

“It is I, the all-powerful and honorable Lord Soldelle Halifax, Master of Spells and Potions, Manipulator of Magic, Devourer of Daemons. Thank you for welcoming me into your home, Carter Graham.” He bowed deeply, the fringe of his long emerald-green robes swishing gently around him.

“...Is that your real name?”

Placing a hand across his heart, the wizard swayed dramatically. “Lo, betrayal! My dear cousin does not remember me, though I have attended this very Hallow’s Eve party for seventeen years hence, though you would not remember the first twelve.”

Carter’s brows furrowed. “Um...is your real name Ruford?”

“Close enough,” he sighed. “Remington, dear cousin.”

“Okay.” With a last confused look, Carter disappeared down the hall.

“Tut tut, Carter,” Remington said, fingering the wand in his pocket. “I do not blame you, for we rarely meet. Hogwarts has been my second home for as long as you have been alive, but not to worry. You and I will be the best of friends by the end of tonight.”

. . .​

The plan was simple—he knew from Aunt Margaret that she was planning a scavenger hunt (very Non-Magical, just like the rest of his family. Remington would spice it up, though.) Each adult would be paired with a kid, but he’d counted, and there were two more kids than adults. Perfect. After a simple Summoning Charm, two slips of paper with “Carter” and “Remington” in his aunt’s neat cursive were tucked into his pocket, and when all the other partners had been picked, he pretended to be surprised.

“Well, well, Carter,” he said, ushering his cousin to a corner of the room. “It looks like you and I are partners now.” Carter didn’t look remotely pleased.

Shrugging, Remington tapped his wand against the paper with the clue on it (he hadn’t even bothered to read it) and cast a tracking spell, not caring about his Non-Magical cousin—Carter didn’t even seem interested, gazing longingly at a plate of cauldron cupcakes.

“Come along, Carter.” Remington gently ushered his cousin out of the back door. He felt the paper in his hand tug towards the woods behind the house and grinned. “If we get first place, I’ll convince your mom to let you eat all those cupcakes.”

“You will?”

“If she disagrees, I’ll steal them for you.”

Carter slowly nodded. “Okay. Where do we go?”

. . .​

A trek through the woods—the perfect time to bond with your favorite cousin, right?

Nope.

Every time Remington tried to pose a question, Carter would bluntly answer and move forward as quickly as a five-year-old boy promised cupcakes could go. His drive was impressive, up until he decided to cross a running stream by walking over a six-inch wide log.

“Carter!” Remington shrieked, as the boy placed one foot onto the log.

His cousin paid him no mind, placing his other foot on the log. His arms swayed from side to side as he balanced himself. “This is fun!”

Torn between making sure Carter was safe or letting him actually enjoy himself, Remington settled on clutching his wand tightly as his cousin slowly made his way across the river. If something happened, he could put it down to a miracle…

Remington’s wand was out of his pocket before he had even realized Carter had lost his balance. His cousin fell in slow motion, somehow graceful as he touched the water with barely a splash, before time seemed to return to normal. Remington jumped into the stream without caring what it’d do to his robes and waded over.

“Carter?” he whispered.

Carter’s eyes opened in a flash, the piercing blue as lively as ever before. “Wow, this feels so cool!” the boy said, sitting up. Remington stared—Carter was sitting on water, his clothes perfectly dry, each wave of his blond hair as stylized as his mother always made it. “How am I doing this?”

Almost crying with relief, Remington lifted his cousin off the water, ignoring the boy’s protests as he waded through the rest of the stream and carried him to the other bank.

“Remy? That was so cool! Can I do that again?”

Setting Carter down on the ground, Remington pulled him into a bear hug and, shaking with laughter, said, “You’re a wizard, Carter.”

“A what?”

No point in keeping it a secret now. Remington pulled out his wand (which, thankfully, hadn’t gotten wet), and pointed it at his clothes. In an instant they were comfortably warm in the cool autumn air, and he smirked as Carter stared at him with open wonder.

“Was that…”

“Magic?” Remington finished, laughing. “Yep. Watch this.” He pointed his wand towards the log Carter had just tried to cross, and with a flick, it changed into a carved oak bridge. “For the return trip,” he remarked, as his cousin’s mouth fell open. “Come on, if you want those cupcakes, we’d better get a move on.”

“I’ll just tell mommy that I almost died. Then she’ll feed me cupcakes.”

“Your mom would kill me!” Remington protested. “You wouldn’t do that to your favorite cousin, would you?”

Carter pretended to consider; Remington gasped, betrayed, and the two cousins made their way through the woods, laughing and talking loudly as the little slip of paper still clutched in Remington’s hand guided them to victory.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.