The Daily Diviner - Issue 99

TABLE OF​	CONTENTS​
Feature​	A Warm Winter Waltz Welcome​
Editorial​	The Arena Season 4 Updates​
Server Spotlight​	Winter Wonderland Destinations​
Lifestyle​	Showing your Gratitude and Appreciation​ Cooking With Friends​

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A Warm Winter Waltz Welcome
Feature
Written by Silquer
Edited by Calliequeen
​

Hello dear readers, and welcome back to the Daily Diviner! With Halloween weeks in the past, autumn in the Northern Hemisphere is winding down. Leaves are falling, snowstorms are on the way, and the winter season is on our doorstep! As usual, Potterworld is preparing to celebrate the cold with the much-anticipated Winter Waltz event, with a trip to a foreign magical school. New people, new creatures, and new quests are on the horizon. What could this year have in store for us students? Let’s reflect on past events before turning our gaze to Winter Waltz 2023.

Hogsworth has traveled to many schools in the past, and last year, we took a trip to Silvermorne, a magical school in North America. The great castle loomed over Mount Greylock and was surrounded by nature. It was the perfect place to spend a quiet winter! Students were tasked with collecting lanterns to contribute to the masquerade. These lanterns were earned by helping out and completing quests around the school. The event culminated in the Masquerade Ball, which was a huge gathering of students who all wore special masks tailored to each of the four houses of Silvermorne. This event capitalized on the most beloved part of the Winter Waltz: the community!

In previous years, Hogsworth has also visited Castelomagia, in South America, Mahounoshiro, in Japan, and Dormunstrad, in northern Europe. Over the years, each of these schools has offered a unique and diverse experience for the Winter Waltz. Every school has been handled with care, from the jungle pyramids of Castelomagia to the sprawling castle-scape of Dormunstrad. The many different houses, environments, and rewards never fail to make the Winter Waltz a celebration to remember.

This year, we can expect a trip to the Northern Hemisphere for a winter spent in the sun. Where could this be? Without a doubt, the Winter Waltz this year is going to be full of adventure and magnificent views. I can’t wait to be sorted into a brand-new house! Although the location of the Winter Waltz remains a secret, it will certainly have something to do with the occult…

I hope you are as excited for the Winter Waltz this year as I am! I can’t wait to enjoy the coziness of winter through this event. Please be sure to keep an eye out for announcements about the event coming soon. Updates will be announced on the PotterworldMC forums and on the official Potterworld Discord. Have a wonderful start to the winter!

 

[The Daily Diviner]

The Arena Season 4 Updates
Editorial
Written by whoohoo
Edited by littledead
​

Dear readers, welcome to the 99th issue’s Editorial article! I hope you are all feeling well. The Arena team has been hard at work creating new, enjoyable experiences for players, and thus I will be covering the latest Arena 2023 Season 4 Releases for you!

We’ll start with the map changes that have been announced. Some people had mentioned their frustrations with certain maps for dueling. The Arena team announced that all maps will be reworked to fix any issues, and they have asked us to be patient with them while they do this.

They also released two new maps for Season 4. One is for dueling, called Champ De Mars, and one for flying, which is named Halloween Forest. Isn’t that cool? I personally haven’t seen them yet, but I cannot wait to see them for myself!

The team is currently working on reducing the lag during dueling in the Dueling Halls as well, given that lag sometimes causes unfair fights. Personally, I am happy with this, as I have experienced fights where I lost because of lag.

The Arena team added a new protocol rule as well! It states that if a player disconnects within the first 10 seconds of a race, the race will be restarted. This happened because they have gotten feedback about players freezing before they’ve had the chance to spawn into the map or arena. Additionally, this will mean that the team will be more vigilant and understanding in the future about this. I think this is great, because as someone who has done flying myself, I have frozen for a few seconds when I launched my broom. I have even seen people crash from it!

The decorations in the Arena hub and lobbies have been updated for the season, and you can check that out by joining the Challenges and Tournaments! I haven’t seen them yet, but I have always loved the Arena decorations in the past. I already know I will love them this time too!

The Token Shop has also been changed. Arena Scores are now combined, which means that everyone’s Flying and Dueling scores contribute to their overall score. It means that you can purchase exclusive rewards at a faster pace, and a small explanation has been added to the Token Shops categories GUI explaining this change.

The Arena Discord will now also have events for upcoming Tournaments, which I think is helpful, so you can always check when the next one is if you aren’t able to look at the forum announcement! They will also be doing these events for future Arena events.

Thank you all for reading this article, and I hope to see you in the next one. What’s your favorite change? Mine is the decorations and the lag reduction! Have a great day, and be sure to check out the new Arena decorations for yourself!

 

[The Daily Diviner]

Winter Wonderland Destinations
Server Spotlight
Written by Silquer
Edited by snotflower
​

Hello dear readers, and welcome back to the Server Spotlight column! December is already less than a week away, and many of us are preparing for a cozy winter season. Winter breaks are fast approaching along with it, and there is no better way to spend a week-long vacation than cozied up in a snowy locale, exploring new destinations. With this in mind, let’s take a look at three of the best magical locations you can visit next month!

Our first stop could be none other than Hogsend. Draped in snow, Hogsend is the picturesque example of the perfect winter vacation destination. Butterbrew is served warm at the very source of the famous drink: The Broomsticks Inn. Besides serving the most delicious wintertime drink, you can spend a few nights at this comforting inn.

In addition to the inn, scattered through the town are plenty of shops to explore. Honeysweets, Tobias’ Toys and Plushies, and Quality Cakes and Confectionary are just a few to keep an eye out for. Grab your to-go butterbrew from one of the many stands and wander through this beautiful town! If this piques your interest, Hogsend itself is easy to get in and out of, only being a quick train ride from Hogsworth. The only downside of this particular town is its fame; this time of year, Hogsend is a popular tourist destination, so the streets and shops can quickly become overwhelming.

If Hogsend is the quintessential small winter town, Wigtown is the shining example of a city in wintertime. The streets and sidewalks are well-paved, but the snow piled on rooftops and cars speaks to the city’s prolific amount of snow. Due to its location on the coast, winter is much harsher here, and snow-white blizzards are common! If you have dreams of spending your time in a literal winter wonderland, Wigtown is the place for you. Like Hogsend, you can stay at an inn to explore everything this town has to offer.

Wigtown is the perfect place to spend outdoors. Just on the outskirts of town is a small lake, completely frozen over and the ideal place for ice skating. A little past that is a Quabbleball pitch if you want some to feel icy winds during your trip. If you are feeling crazy enough, there is even a soccer field; watch out for ice patches! If the outdoors is not quite your thing in freezing weather, there are plenty of local shops to discover. The only thing to know before visiting is that it is also an unmagical town.

Away from the coast and closer to the mountains is Rushstone, the next stop on this list. Some might say Rushstone is one of the most beautiful wizarding towns in the United Kingdom. This cliffside location sits on the edge of the mountains and overlooks a sprawling valley. The evergreens surrounding the houses are a sight to see, creating the perfect forest winter. Surrounded by fields, the views of the mountains, and natural springs, this is the perfect place to visit if you love the mountains. Furthermore, the local market in Rushstone is full of interesting items to peruse. Unfortunately, there are no local inns at Rushstone, so if you want to visit, it will have to be a day trip (or a campout in the woods)!

Winter holidays in magical towns are certainly something special. With so many locales, how could you ever choose? Personally, I would be headed to Rushstone. I love to spend my winters in the mountains, overlooking nature and its beauty. I hope you consider traveling this winter! Have a great season!

Do you want to be featured in a future Server Spotlight article? Fill out our form here for a chance to be in our next Server Spotlight!​

 

[The Daily Diviner]

Showing your Gratitude and Appreciation
Lifestyle
Written by whoohoo
Edited by Immites
​

Hello, witches and wizards, and welcome to the 99th edition of the Daily Diviner! Today, I will be giving you ideas and some ways to express your gratitude and appreciation towards the people around you. In my opinion, I feel we should all show a little more gratitude and appreciation to the people around us because we all deserve it!

One of my personal favourites is self-written items, such as cards, letters, poems and notes! With self-written gifts you can show exactly how you appreciate the person, which I think is a beautiful thing. I am planning on doing this during Christmas myself, which is a perfect example of when you can use this, or on birthdays!

You can give a person any gift that you think would suit them, or something they have been wanting for a while to show you are grateful for them and appreciate them. Money is always a good bet if you don’t really know what kind of gift to give someone, so they can use it to buy something for themselves.

Candy: who doesn’t love it? It can make for a perfect way to show you care, especially if it’s all kinds of different candy or their favourite ones. I know I would appreciate some candy! You can even bake or cook some food for them. This could be cookies, brownies, cake or anything else you can think of.

Complimenting goes a long way if you are unsure about what to get or make, as a compliment can brighten someone's day! A compliment can be anything positive about the person. For example, you could compliment how good they are at something or even their smile.

Taking them out for a fun day or coffee is also a good idea! You could do something they love or that you both love and much more! Do they love reading? Take them to a bookstore! There are endless options.

Being a listening ear and helping them out can also go a long way in making their day easier and showing your gratitude at the same time. By listening to people you can understand their feelings and frustrations better, and it can also be very therapeutic for the person to know they are heard!

Thank you everyone for reading this article. I hope it helped you to find different ways to express your gratitude and appreciation towards the people around you! See you in the next one!

 

[The Daily Diviner]

Cooking With Friends
Lifestyle
Written by Silquer
Edited by LMNJ
​

Hello dear readers, and welcome back to the Lifestyle column! ‘Tis the season for cozy foods and cozier company. Although we are closer to winter than autumn, it is never too late to break out the cooking ware and spend the tail-end of November cooking with loved ones! There’s no better time than now to find a break in your busy schedule at Hogsworth to spend time with others in the kitchen. Here are some autumnal side dishes perfect for making by yourself or with people near and dear to you.

The first recipe is a delicious cranberry sauce. Because of its simplicity, this recipe is perfect for cooking alone (and surprising your friends with a homemade delicacy)! For this recipe, you will need: a 12 ounce bag of cranberries (make sure to rinse them!), ¾ cup brown sugar, ¾ cup of water, ¼ cup of fresh orange juice, 1 teaspoon of orange zest, and ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract.

First, to get the orange juice and orange zest, you will need one orange. To zest the orange, use a grater or a zester tool. Remember, you are only taking off the outer layer of the orange peel. Once the orange has been zested, cut the orange in half and squeeze the orange over a bowl. You only need ¼ cup of the juice, so make sure you are measuring it!

Over a saucepan, combine the cranberries, water, orange juice, and brown sugar over medium heat. The mixture will bubble; this is good! Stir it occasionally until it comes to a simmer, then lower the heat. When the liquid is reduced, and the cranberries have burst, let it simmer for another ten minutes. Then, take the mixture off of the heat and add the orange zest and vanilla extract. The sauce is done! This is best served warm and with plenty of friends around. Enjoy this delicious sauce.

The second recipe is a classic sweet potato casserole. There is nothing better than a fresh sweet potato casserole! For this recipe, you will need: 3 ½ pounds of sweet potatoes, ½ cup of melted butter, ½ cup of heavy cream, ⅓ cup of brown sugar, 3 eggs, 1 ¼ teaspoons of salt, 1 ½ teaspoons of cinnamon, and ¾ teaspoon of smoked paprika.

First, preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. You will need to bake the sweet potatoes in foil first before they go in the casserole dish. To bake the potatoes, get a baking sheet and line it with foil, then put the whole potatoes on the foil. Make sure to poke some holes in the potatoes! Then, cover them in more foil and roast them for about an hour (or until soft). When they’re finished and cool enough, peel them and put them in a large bowl with butter, cream, brown sugar, eggs, salt, cinnamon, and smoked paprika. Mash it as you would mashed potatoes. Now it is time for the casserole part! Reduce the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and butter a 13 by 19 inch casserole dish. Bake for about thirty minutes!

Optionally, you could also add marshmallows to bake on the top for extra sweetness. There are also plenty of toppings you could add; feel free to experiment!

Finally, mashed potato puffs are up on the menu. These are made in bulk, so they are perfect for baking with friends. For this recipe, you will need: 2 cups of mashed potatoes, 3 eggs, 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese, ¼ cup of bacon bits, and ¼ cup of chives.

You can make this with a bunch of friends by your side! Each of you can combine your share of mashed potatoes, eggs, cheese, and chives and spoon them into a muffin pan. You could also top each one with Parmesan cheese for extra cheesiness. With an oven preheated to 400 degrees Fahrenheit, bake for about thirty minutes. Once done, you can serve them with sour cream. Additionally, it is very important to Leviomora a warm snack away when everyone has their back turned!

What do you think of these recipes? Can you already smell the comforting aromas? I certainly can! I hope this has inspired you to open up a cookbook and gather up some loved ones to get cooking. Happy cooking!