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| The hills around New Hogwarts |
Under the expert organisational guidance of the Principal Dobby, and the senior leaders of the Ministry of Magic, the new Hogwarts Experiment opened earlier this month at Manning Park Resort - in the woods and mountains of British Columbia.
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| The Enchanted Wood - part of the Forbidden Forest |
It had taken the Ministry several years of planning to get to
this point, relying heavily on the magic technology of zoom together with a few
large metal flying ships. But finally, the school has opened and 53 novice
wizards enrolled, to learn the age-old craft, rituals and traditions of ‘relational
magic’.
The students were accompanied by officials from the Ministry and a range of
half-blood muggles to help with the smooth running of the school’s first few
days: including a team of Elves under Dobby with particular expertise in transportation
by portkeys and powder floo (although problems arose when one of the
transportation devices expelled much of its powder floo onto the road surface).
The main difficulties concerned the need to find teaching rooms at the
appointed times, which were suitably secret and private for the spells to be
cast, and the transfiguration to safely occur.
Before (and after) the school opened, the staff team had
many magnificent banquets in Hogsmeade and nearby, including some use of
magical potions which are legal when used in the Forbidden Forest. Copious
quantities of Butterbeer and Polyjuice were also consumed without any noticeably
harmful consequences.
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| Gathering provisions for the school's kitchens in Diagon Alley |
Since the sad demise of Dumbledore, two appointments were
made to fill his cherished and much-revered role in the new school: one from the mysterious East,
and one from the western world (which is still, of course, predominantly
populated by Muggles). The team of teachers included successors to Professors
Snape, McGonagall and Lupin with a herbology trainee following Professor Sprout
- and a special investigator employed directly by the Ministry.
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| New accommodation cabins for staff and students |
The Sorting Hat placed all the students into the four houses,
but found that only Slytherin was willing to accept the visitors from the Ministry,
Dobbies and co-Dumbledores - many of whom had reputations for serious mischief. The students in Griffindor were taught by
McGonagall’s successor in Transfiguration, those in Ravenclaw by Snape’s protegee
in Defence Against the Dark Arts and Hufflepuff by Lupin (in Charms) with Professor
Sprout’s Herbology trainee.
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| A school meal in the Forbidden Forest |
Although Voldemort remains in perpetual torment and did not manifest
himself at all, there was some evidence of Dementors’ activity, particularly on
the school’s opening day. However, the power of the small group classes soon
ensured their banishment – and useful lessons were learned by all. Three of the fifty-three students left before the end of teaching, led by one who was probably under the
influence of an Expelliarmus spell. The later days were marked by the
lingering presence of a Harmoniosus Impedimenta charm, which had its
normal range of Yin and Yang qualities - bringing both benefits and drawbacks to the magical mixture.
Elders who had previously held the role of Dumbledore were
remembered and honoured: Jean who was the Queen of Haute Cuisine, and Steve as
the High Chancellor of Books and Journals. Aldo Guitariamus is mostly in retirement from his duties as headmaster, but there are often rumours of a final gig - as there are for Jan the Rememberer, who remains the Keeper of Grand History and Tradition. Simone the Sicilian still holds the equivalent position to Dumbledore in Scuola
di Magia at the Blue Lodge of Fellowcraft (the Italian Hogwarts).
We eagerly await the examination results from the Ministry
of Magic’s special investigator, and look forward to creative and productive work
with the Ministry, including representations to the most senior officials about
how to continue the work of the school.
