Prof. Will Lestrange

Accepting the offer of the sandwich from Tarma, Will decided now was a good time to truly notice the scenery the Hogwarts Express was going past. While Will was normally not a fan of taking the long, scenic route, he had to admit that the views of the Scottish highlands were pretty impressive. Turning back to Tarma, he said "Are there any other magical trains you've enjoyed riding on or is this really the only one?"

Just saying: the subject matter of this image made this puzzle VERY hard for its size!

Having seen that the Slytherins seemed to be getting along just fine (to no one's surprise), Will had reached the back of the train. He was slightly surprised to recognize Tarma at the other end, but then again, if each house had to have one professor on the train, it wouldn't be that surprising that Tarma would be the Hufflepuff professor riding the train that day! Will tried to think about the ridiculousness of everything, but ultimately turned back to Tarma and asked "so I take it's your turn to ride the train up this year?"

Normally Will would have stayed in the castle awaiting the new students, but the rules were clear: “At least one professor from each House must ride the Hogwarts Express in case students have a question that cannot be answered by the Prefects.” So this year the responsibility fell onto him to be the designated Slytherin Professor on the train. He had Apparated from Hogsmeade Station to King’s Cross that morning, and now he found himself back on the train (thankfully without having to deal with any luggage). Now on the train, Will decided to take a walk through the train to see how his Slytherins (both old and new) were doing... and wondering if he was going to be able to remain undetected while doing so. Will wasn’t expecting anything to go wrong on the train, but he had to check just in case!

Without that text I would have thought of a very different meaning for that image: “an explosion brews in the distance and one man alone is far enough away to survive the blast completely unscathed.” Let’s all continue to make this a great year! (Of course I need to update my sigtag as soon as I finally get that issue with the Muggle ‘battery’ resolved...)

5691

thanks for the fun! (And congratulations to the other 23 solvers!)

The fall term may have begun here at HOL, but for many of us September still feels like summer. I have a feeling that many of you would enjoy floating down a river and enjoying the sunshine... and, if so, your wish is my command. That's right; the game we will be playing to start off my fourth year running the Arcade Club here is going to be... Toobin'! Just like our last game (which was Tetris), Toobin' is also an Atari arcade game from 1988 (albeit with ties to Midway as well)... but the structure is totally different. Instead of using puzzle pieces to build structure, you will be taking on the role of a cool 80s dude named Bif, floating down a river in an inner tube... and competing against a computer-controlled racer named Flotsam who is doing the same thing. As you paddle down the river, you can earn points by going through gates (but if Flotsam passes through the gate, or either he or you hits a pole bounding the gate, its value goes down). Meanwhile there are obstacles in the water that are deadly to the touch... and cans that you can throw at Flotsam after picking them up! Did I mention that if you don't go fast enough, a crocodile will appear at the top of the screen and pursue you? And there are tons of other secret bonuses as well to discover... For this month's challenge, you want to go to THIS LINK to play Toobin'. Screencap your best performance (and post it in this thread) by September 30 at 11:59 PM HOL! (PS: To start the game, you need to click on the "INSERT COIN" button twice and then play the LEFT CONTROL button to start the game. When playing, the A key paddles with your right hand and the D key paddles with your left hand, though from the game's perspective this may appear reversed! And the LEFT CONTROL key will shoot a soda can, if you haven't used them all up already. ) -Participation at all will earn you 5 scales. -If you clear the first level or score 2021 points or higher, your screencap will earn you 10 scales instead of 5. -The top three scores of the month will get extra scales (25, 20, and 15 respectively for the month instead of 5 or 10) as well as special awards! PS: Feel free to edit your post throughout the month as you improve your score!

It's that time again: another school year has begun here at HOL! (And at the time I type this, we are in the lead for the House Cup!) Remember to choose your classes ASAP and start earning points for Slytherin! Over the past few months, three amazing Slytherin staff members have turned in their badges: Arianna Stonewater (who was a Prefect, Head Student, and HOLLERS head among other things), February Fortescue (who was a Prefect and did amazing things with SerpenTimes as well as with point earning) and Prof. Scarlet Leslie-Lewis (the longest ever-serving Slytherin Head of House, with accomplishments too numerous to name). Their legacy lives on in all of us, and what they brought to the Dungeons will never be forgotten. However, just as three staff members stepped down, we have seen three new people promoted to Prefect: Aurelia West, Louis Walles, and Lucia Dinapoli - who join the established Prefect Emily Spencer. All four of them have been doing great things for Slytherin so far and I fully expect to see that continue! Coming up very soon in the Dungeons is our early fall activity, Serpentine Souvenirs, which is expected to go live September 5th. New snakes (and those who need a refresher) are encouraged to read through the Slytherin Hatchling Orientation Program (S.H.O.P.) lessons and start working on their Scales hauls for the year. But even if you're an experienced snake, you might find the two newest lessons: Slytherin Tales and Slytherin Sidekick to be useful! And while you're on the subject, why not sign up for your own Slytherin Sidekick?) What are Scales? Scales are the point system we use in the Dungeons. The more activities you participate in, the more opportunities you'll have to collect them and get you in the running for an award at the end of the year! The Monthly Scales Challenge is open to all Slytherins. Each month, a Slytherin staff member will set five tasks for all snakes to complete. Harry Potter Read-Along may have finished up the original book series last year, but that doesn't mean the Read-Along is over! We will be doing a Merlin Read-Along this year in honour of one of the original Slytherins. Get ready for tasks that give you opportunities to earn more Scales as we dive into the legacy of Merlin! If you're looking for even more opportunities to earn Scales, check out the Slug Clubs. There is a new Arcade Club challenge each month. You can also try beating old high scores. The Puzzle Exchange is great place for sharing or trying different types of puzzles. And the GOBstones Club (Games On Boards) is a great place to discuss everything related to games: from preferences to strategies! If you have any ideas for Slytherin, please reach out to any member of Slytherin staff. If you are interested in joining Slytherin staff, keep your eyes peeled for Promising Student applications near the end of Autumn Term! Well, what are you waiting for? The House Cup is calling - and we are currently in first place!