HOL

Time to get to know our side characters even better.
This is your chance to flesh out your character’s backstory. You can use what we know about them from this or other books in the series but we’d also love you to use your imagination. You can respond to the prompts in the first person (as they would, in their own voice) or you can tell us about them in the third person (like the book does with Harry), it’s up to you.
There are 3 prompts to choose from, one per chapter. You need to choose one and respond to it in 100 words or more to earn 20 beans and a dice roll for the board game. You’re more than welcome to do the other prompts for more beans but you won’t earn any extra rolls.

• Chapter 10 - Who were among your character's first friends at Hogwarts? What helped them bond?
• Chapter 11 - What were your character's thoughts on their house's first Quidditch match of the season? How did they show support for their team?
• Chapter 12: What interesting things did they discover about the castle while exploring?

Post your responses below by 11:59 PM HOL-time on the 31st of May.

Dean Thomas

What were your character's thoughts on their house's first Quidditch match of the season? How did they show support for their team?

I got to see my first quidditch match yesterday and it was absolutely brilliant! My and my Gryffindor year mates made a banner to support Harry-I drew the lion since I’m the best at art. The players were so fast I could barely keep up with who was where on the pitch and it was much more violent than I thought it would be for a school match-the bludgers look like they hurt and a cant believe there’s no red cards! It got a bit scary for a minute as Harry’s broom went completely haywire but it soon stopped (Hermione disappeared so I think she must have told a professor…). We were all a bit distracted when Harry suddenly spat the snitch out of his mouth. If that’s what a school match looked like, I can’t wait to see a professional one.

(just going to say: for obvious reasons, it's always very difficult to write from the perspective of an RQT supporter )
Prompt chosen: Chapter 11

None of my friends are on the team this year, but we're still here to support our house, and to see and be seen! We're up against Hufflepuff this year, and for the most part, only Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs are in the stands this year (though I think I spot both Wood and Flint, hidden away in the back, and nowhere near each other, but just taking notes on what's going on on the pitch). While everyone here has house pride, we don't particularly hate Hufflepuff - some of our friends are badgers, and it's not uncommon for Ravenclaw Quidditch players to date their counterparts in the Sett! It's not like Gryffindor vs Slytherin where we almost feel like a fight's going to break out in the stands at any time... and, to be honest, if we can't win ourselves, we'd rather the badgers win than Gryffindor or Slytherin.

But one of the third-years, Roger Davies, seems to be performing quite well as a Chaser and guiding us to a comfortable lead... a lead sufficiently large that even though a Hufflepuff third year (Cedric Diggory; I could have sworn he had been making eyes at the Ravenclaw section half the game) caught the Snitch for Hufflepuff, we still were able to win by a score of 250-160... so that we might keep the lead even after the next game!

The biggest surprise was when Cedric flew into the stands after the game and introduced himself to a girl in the year ahead of us, Cho Chang... I wouldn't be shocked if they ended up dating at some point down the road!

[NOTE: Final score chosen to put Gryffindor in second place after their 170-60 win. Also, the Gryffindor/Slytherin acrimony is something that I'm so glad is completely absent from HOL!]

Seamus Finnigan
What were your character's thoughts on their house's first Quidditch match of the season? How did they show support for their team?

The first Gryffindor Quidditch match? It was unreal, so it was! I was up in the stands with a few of the lads I’ve gotten to know, and I swear, we had the best spot in the stands! The energy was contagious and the match was a proper match, even if it wasn’t as speedy as the stuff you’d see with the pros. I was pure worried for Harry though, when his broom went all mad — never saw anything like it in me life. Hagrid said it was some dark magic job, not the kind of thing a normal student could pull off. Made me even more curious, to be honest. And the way the match ended? Ah, don’t even get me started! Let’s just say, Gryffindor better keep that up or we’ll all be gutted!

Padma Patil
Who were among your character's first friends at Hogwarts? What helped them bond?

My dormmates were Mandy Brocklehurst, Sue Li, Morag MacDougal, and Lisa Turpin. I wouldn't say the we all got along right away, but we eventually learned each others' habits and figured out how to coordinate the dreaded morning bathroom routine with five girls.

Sue and I shared similar upbringings since our families were not originally from Great Britain. However, I felt that my dormmates didn't feel that they could compete with the sister bond that I have with my twin.

Instead, I found myself a study buddy in Anthony Goldstein. We were both in the library so often that we finally decided that we may as well work together. We absolutely enjoyed quizzing each other and trying to stump the other while preparing for exams.