Like last month, we're here to make life a wee bit easier for you students trying to get in final projects before the buzzer at the end-of-June deadline. Here are some exact times to work with. We've attempted to cover all the areas of known House Cuppers, but it is possible we've left some out. Hopefully this will still be helpful!

ALL CLASS ASSIGNMENTS WILL BE DUE BY THE FOLLOWING TIMES

In the United States of America and Canada...

Alaska -- June 30, 2009 -- 10:59:59 p.m.
Pacific -- June 30, 2009 -- 11:59:59 p.m.
Mountain -- July 1, 2009 -- 12:59:59 a.m.
Central -- July 1, 2009 -- 1:59:59 a.m.
Eastern/Saskatchewan -- July 1, 2009 -- 2:59:59 a.m.
Atlantic -- July 1, 2009 -- 3:59:59 a.m.
Newfoundland -- July 1, 2009 -- 4:29:59 a.m.

In Australia...

Western (Perth) -- July 1, 2009 -- 2:59:59 p.m.
Centeral (Adelaide) -- July 1, 2009 -- 4:29:59 p.m.
Eastern (Sydney) -- July 1, 2009 -- 4:59:59 p.m.

In Britain and Europe...

UK -- July 1, 2009 -- 7:59:59 a.m.
Western Europe (Denmark/Germany/etc.) -- July 1, 2009 -- 8:59:59 a.m.
Eastern Europe (Finland/Ukraine/etc.) -- July 1, 2009 -- 9:59:59 a.m.

In Japan...

Tokyo -- July 1, 2009 -- 3:59:59 p.m.

It's that time again (and almost time for the month to end -- only 2 ½ more days until July starts!), so here are the unofficial classroom totals for the month of June as of 9:26 a.m. Eastern U.S. (remember, this is for class assignments and OWL points only, no Quidditch or bonuses or any of that goodness is added in, nor are previous points accumulated during May):

This week, the lovely cmelvin, Ravenclaw's Head of House and professor of Charms, has stepped down to do some traveling. To honor her, we're publishing her interview this week in our "10 Questions" segment.

DADA
Boppingbeth of Griffindor


Herbology
DevonC of Ravenclaw


Transfiguration
Morandia of Ravenclaw


OWL Progress
Roeska of Hufflepuff

The gang over in Ravenclaw Tower had a fun activity. It encouraged interaction in the house AND aided in completing a House Cup assignment. They had a tea-leaf reading party!

Here are some of the comments:

I see sort of a person in robes on the right wearing a hat with a feather or something.
They are pointing at some floating things. Or maybe those make a bird.


To me, there is a great imbalance in my cup. I feel like there are two features (an arm and a ‘pincher’) that are coming out from the mass to try to rectify the imbalance, but they are headed in the wrong direction.


There is clearly a bird on the side of the cup. A bird is good luck and a sitting bird means I’m waiting for a message. Since this is on the side of the cup, it means my message will be significant but not life changing, so I guess I don’t get relief from my burden anytime soon….


To read more, and to see the pretty pictures, use your time turner & sneak into the tower common room, (or, just start reading HERE)

A Quicky Points Update For June 20.

Hufflepuff: 1445
Gryffindor: 1725
Ravenclaw: 1830
Slytherin: 2030

This includes points for homeworks turned in during JUNE. It does not include Quidditch points or cheering or any points awarded in May.

This week, we're getting up close and personal with everyone's favorite Ancient Runes, Divination and Potions professor, brineydeep4!

Which is your favorite Harry Potter book?
I’m in love with the third book, Prisoner of Azkaban. I always thought that the first two were enjoyable to read, but reading the third book made me realize “Wow! JKR has a whole wizarding world in her head with a past and a future.” It was such a fun read and really set the tone for how the rest of the series would progress.

Which is your favorite Harry Potter movie?
I’m going to have to say POA here as well. Like the books, this movie transitions from the happy, gold-tinted tone of the first movies to the darkness of all the next movies. It’s the HP movie I usually grab when I want to have something in the background while I knit.

Who is your favorite Harry Potter character?
Neville Longbottom. He transforms from the awkward kid who can’t do anything right to a bad-ass by the end of the series. Killing Nagini? Becoming a Hogwarts professor? I would have never guessed.


How did you become involved with the House Cup?
Headmistress Onica posted her idea for a House Cup competition in the ‘Harry Potter Lovers’ group almost a year ago and I was immediately interested. I signed up right away and even suggested starting the first term on September 1st, so as best to align with HP canon.

What is your favorite part of the House Cup?
I haven’t really changed the types of things I knit while participating in the House Cup, but I like that each project has a greater sense of purpose and urgency to ensure that my house wins points. I’m also amazed my the warmth of the people in this group and the interpersonal connections are what keep me coming back each term.

What made you volunteer to teach the “Rotation 1” class (Ancient Runes, Divination and Potions)?
I tried to lobby the headmistress for a Divination class this term, as HP canon says the third year is the first time this class is offered to students (making the House Cup agree with canon makes me happy in such a geeky way). In the end, I was satisfied with teaching one month of Divination, along with two other very interesting subjects.

What makes a student’s project stand out to you?
Creativity, in either the project itself or the student’s description of their project. Additionally, a well made or challenging project will always stand out. A great example, and a favorite of mine, is smartcinderella’s February Care of Magical Creatures homework from last term; it was well made, very creative, and was HP-themed in a unique way.

Do you knit, crochet, spin, or some combination of the three?
I’m primarily a knitter, though I do spin, crochet, sew, weave, etc. My mother is a weaver and has always encouraged my many fibery pursuits. Still, knitting is my favorite.

What is your favorite type of item to craft?
Well, my inspiration really comes in phases. I’ve been in a lull recently, so I’ve been knitting a lot of mindless 2x2 ribbed socks. When I am feeling inspired, I like to knit raglan sweaters from the top-down.

Last, but not least, what’s the story behind your Ravelry ID “brineydeep4”?
I am the youngest of my dad’s 4 children, so that makes me four-deep on the Briney list. My ID also plays off the phrase

Divination

zamama of Gryffindor


Muggle Studies


InsanKnitty of Ravenclaw



Transfiguration

Fruitloops of Gryffindor

Our second week into June has proven to be an exciting one for the Ravenclaw team, who are the current points leaders for the month!

Today in our interview series, we're chatting with my fellow House Cup Reporter (who also happens to double as your favorite Muggle Studies professor), oliveknits!

Which is your favorite Harry Potter book?
6, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

Which is your favorite Harry Potter movie?
I think #4 – they got a much better set for Hogwarts.

Who is your favorite Harry Potter character?
Hermione Granger

And to transition the love of
all things HP into the House Cup…

How did you become involved with the House Cup?
I did a random search for Harry Potter-related groups on Ravelry, and stumbled across House Cup. I saw all the crazy fun going on and HAD to join!

What is your favorite part of the House Cup?
The creativity of the projects!

What made you volunteer to teach Muggle Studies?
I’m fascinated by Muggle customs and devices, and thought everyone could use a little help fitting in with Muggles!

What makes a student’s project stand out to you?
Uniqueness, ambition, and creativity.

And a little bit about you…

Do you knit, crochet, spin, or some combination of the three?
I mainly knit. I will crochet sometimes to embellish or fix a knitted item, but I stick to 2 needles.

What is your favorite type of item to craft?
Right now I’m in a lace craze and can’t get fancy scarves and stoles out of my head!

Last, but not least, what’s the story behind your Ravelry ID “Oliveknits”?
Olive is the name of my smarmy kitty. She’s a stubborn tabby with bengal blood, and she has extra toes in front. My husband and I joke that she does all kinds of things with her extra thumbs, like order things on the interwebs, make herself sandwiches, and of course, knit!

DADA

Meriadoc of Gryffindor


Muggle Studies
JMN of Hufflepuff


OWLs

ajoyce of Hufflepuff

Charms

zanahoria12 of Slytherin


Divination
sigrun1969 of Ravenclaw


Herbology
Mollywobbles of Hufflepuff


Transfiguration
gladcat of Slytherin

All right, House Cuppers, here's hoping this doesn't confuse the heck out of you! We have the official points in for all the May classes to this point except for the bonus points from Defense Against the Dark Arts (and, as that was the most populous class in May, it is no wonder at all that Prof. ScarlettB and her amazing assistant, AddyKan, are being taking their time in reviewing all the projects) -- they DO now include the DADA bonus points!

So, without further ado, here are the OFFICIAL class standings (i.e., these do not include anything but class assignments and OWLs) for the month of May:

And now we move onto June, where the classes have gotten more challenging and the students are having to put on their thinking caps in earnest! So far to this point in June, the unofficial class standings are as follows:


It's looking like a much closer race so far! Keep in mind we are only seven days into the month (i.e., you still have 23 days left to rack up points for your team). Breakdowns by classroom are as follows (as always, "projects turned in" includes partial projects):

CHARMS (80 students enrolled, 30 projects turned in)

Gryffindor - 25 enrolled, 10 projects turned in
Hufflefpuff - 15 enrolled, 6 projects turned in
Ravenclaw - 15 enrolled, 5 projects turned in
Slytherin - 25 enrolled, 9 projects turned in

DEFENSE AGAINST THE DARK ARTS (117 students enrolled, 2 projects turned in)

Gryffindor - 31 enrolled, 1 project turned in
Hufflepuff - 32 enrolled, 1 project turned in
Ravenclaw - 23 enrolled, 0 projects turned in
Slytherin - 31 enrolled, 0 projects turned in

HERBOLOGY (76 students enrolled, 19 projects turned in)

Gryffindor - 20 enrolled, 4 projects turned in
Hufflepuff - 16 enrolled, 4 projects turned in
Ravenclaw - 16 enrolled, 4 projects turned in
Slytherin - 24 enrolled, 7 projects turned in

MUGGLE STUDIES (67 students enrolled, 17 projects turned in)

Gryffindor - 19 enrolled, 4 projects turned in
Hufflepuff - 13 enrolled, 4 projects turned in
Ravenclaw - 14 enrolled, 4 projects turned in
Slytherin - 21 enrolled, 5 projects turned in

DIVINATION (90 students enrolled, 24 projects turned in)

Gryffindor - 26 enrolled, 8 projects turned in
Hufflepuff - 19 enrolled, 3 projects turned in
Ravenclaw - 25 enrolled, 8 projects turned in
Slytherin - 20 enrolled, 5 projects turned in

TRANSFIGURATION (61 students enrolled, 25 projects turned in)

Gryffindor - 12 enrolled, 5 projects turned in
Hufflepuff - 18 enrolled, 8 projects turned in
Ravenclaw - 9 enrolled, 3 projects turned in
Slytherin - 22 enrolled, 9 projects turned in

The Reporting Staff would like to note that from this point on, we will only be reporting classroom points (monthly class assignments and OWLs) and statistics for that month (i.e., in June, we'll only be posting updates on June points; in July, we'll only be posting updates on July points) in the unofficial points updates that we bring you each Sunday. The overall total points from the beginning of the term to date --which include class points as well as Quidditch, recruitment points and other bonus points assigned in the previous month(s) -- will be in the sidebar under each respective House Crest (they are not current at this time, but will be shortly). We hope this does not cause any confusion, we simply want to focus on each month one at a time.

This week, we're visiting with the overworked and underpaid OWLs professor fricknfrack, who is currently balancing 207 students with OWLs on their course studies programs!

While we're all eagerly awaiting the Official Points to be divulged for the May classes, the reporting staff has put together some other interesting numbers for the House Cuppers to mull over.

First and foremost, CONGRATULATIONS to the following students from each house who all fully completed (i.e., did not just turn in a partial assignment, but a full, actual finished product) in All. Six. Classes. WOW.

SLYTHERIN (there were 26 of you -- sorry about the two I missed originally!):

aerieisis
anethemadevice
batfink
beks27
brigitte17
cattiekins
coleva
dontpokeme311
fanfair
hotbettie
IHKruse
jj2edwards
kikipotamus
LNS
loverofallemo
lycanthropica
rebelstickclicker
ruthjw
sharkbook
smartcinderella
vitalai
volkat
wintermoon
working4yarn
zanahoria12

RAVENCLAW (there were 17 of you):

belb
disneyette
dixiehellcat
djmeurer
gazebogal
h3dakota
hotrodhc
ielith
insanknitty
mariainct
noneinnyet
pertela
sigrun1969
snmarx
soprano1
stacymarie
tntknits

GRYFFINDOR (there were 15 of you):

boppingbeth
frick
knitwit
lupingirl
madeleine
mauri
naturallyknitty
oriocookie
quietish
silverarrowknits
sparksearcher
spice2s
starknits
sweezer
trainergirl15

HUFFLEPUFF (there were 13 of you):

autumnleaf77
curiouskate
debbi-a1
dragonsinger
fishonthewall
girlywithatwist
kims
mlledefarge
mollywobbles
rokujo
roeska
sandyvern
taxscrapper

And here are some interesting breakdowns by class for the month of May (the students turned out in droves, it was amazing)...

CHARMS:

183 signed up, 89 % turned something in

59 Slytherins signed up, 86 % of them turned something in
47 Ravenclaws signed up, 92 % of them turned something in
35 Hufflepuffs signed up, 91 % of them turned something in
42 Gryffindors signed up, 86 % of them turned something in

DEFENSE AGAINST THE DARK ARTS:

294 signed up, 89 % turned something in

84 Slytherins signed up, 86 % of them turned something in
67 Ravenclaws signed up, 91 % of them turned something in
75 Hufflepuffs signed up, 87 % of them turned something in
68 Gryffindors signed up, 93 % of them turned something in

HERBOLOGY:

157 signed up, 86 % turned something in

52 Slytherins signed up, 89 % of them turned something in
39 Ravenclaws signed up, 90 % of them turned something in
31 Hufflepuffs signed up, 90 % of them turned something in
35 Gryffindors signed up, 86 % of them turned something in

MUGGLE STUDIES:

206 signed up, 87 % turned something in

60 Slytherins signed up, 90 % of them turned something in
53 Ravenclaws signed up, 85 % of them turned something in
48 Hufflepuffs signed up, 85% of them turned something in
45 Gryffindors signed up, 87 % of them turned something in

ANCIENT RUNES:

164 signed up, 90 % turned something in

56 Slytherins signed up, 89 % of them turned something in
40 Ravenclaws signed up, 90 % of them turned something in
35 Hufflepuffs signed up, 86 % of them turned something in
33 Gryffindors signed up, 94 % of them turned something in

ARITHMANCY:

158 signed up, 92 % turned something in

53 Slytherins signed up, 91 % of them turned something in
39 Ravenclaws signed up, 90 % of them turned something in
29 Hufflepuffs signed up, 97 % of them turned something in
37 Gryffindors signed up, 95 % of them turned something in

JUNE IS HERE!!