Breaking News: Sorting Closes Tomorrow!

Sorting closes at noon tomorrow, December 26, 2011! 

Fill out the sorting form from the link on Ravelry.

• Be sure to sign up if you want to be considered for sorting.
• Filling out the form does not guarantee sorting, as there is a capacity for the game and priority is given on basis of previous participation in the group as a student or NQFY (Not Quite First Year).

My First Year: Sorting It Out, Part 2

Edited for major typos on 10/04. Thanks to StitchingMagic and Stacy for catching it.

First, I would like to apologize to you all for the delay; I've been completely washed out completely. However, the memory of the morning of the second day still trickles in my mind as I speak. It was like a dripping faucet with a broken washer in its tap - ever present, wasteful, and wet.

By the end of the first day in red and gold, I was tired. I had spent the night before the first day of classes packing at my muggle home, so I hadn't slept for at least twenty-four hours. When the golden hour came to be, I followed my classmates to the sleeping quarters. My last ounces of strength got me up to the to the top bunk. There, on a feathery white pillow and under the watchful guard of a dream catcher, I fell into bed. The mattress seemed to surround me, and the stars outside suggested sleep.

Somewhere between three and four in the morning, a siren pierced the air, and most of Gryffindor were up on their feet on the instant. They woke up to the unlikely mix of smells - the overbearing wetness of water and the faint dryness of smoke. Water rained down from the ceiling; the smoke had to come from somewhere else. The entire girls' dorm - and perhaps some of the boys' dorm too - erupted in a spontaneous shriek. After a few minutes, the floor of the entire Gryffindor tower was soaked with an overdose of dihydrogen monoxide (that's water for those who are not keen on muggle culture). A few upperclassmen threw around some Impervius charms, but most Gryffindors decided to join the race towards the common room, the place from where the smoke seemed to originate. One wonders what they were running from the most - the sleeping quarters-turned-shower room, or the alarm that seemed to vibrate though most of my housemates' heads.

Those who made it close to the common room were spared from the manmade rainstorm but greeted to a door that opened to a blinding display of red and orange. Silhouetted by the flames was a thin female frame who sat on a partially burned couch. A heavy ring seemed to overtake her fingers, which were as thin as twigs. She seemed still as if she were unaware of the fires dancing all around her. Other couches, including my "bed" from my auditing days, were either burnt, burning, or waiting to be burned. Whispers from my housemates named her as Contessa*, the one who had fell silent after she had been sorted into Gryffindor. Some Gryffindors took unsure glances at their classmates, while others threw - with various degrees of accuracy - spells of Aguamenti. One underclassman even accidentally (Or was it intentionally? One finds it hard to tell.) hit the darkened figure; the latter did not flinch or in any way show any reaction to his jet of water. Many of the other water spells merely flickered the flames; they were neither coordinated enough nor accurate enough to douse the fires.

As Gryffindor after Gryffindor sloshed their way into the common room, eyelids moved upwards, jaws downward. Much of the furniture near the fireplace was charred. Whatever was left was being eaten by the flames. A few well-timed water spells put out the flames, but the scent of smothered flames still remained. No one could quite go to sleep - except for one person.

I woke up this morning to the dampness of a wet pillow and the sound of a sloshing mattress.

"What in Merlin's name happened here?" I asked. My housemates looked from one face to another, presumably shocked that someone could have slept through the rainstorm.

Thanks to Stuartsmom, Oriocookie, Alexist, and Meriadoc for filling me in.
*Contessa "Tessa" Connolly is a character made specifically for the blog; she is not a real crafter.
Got something to say to Contessa? Please leave a comment below.

My First Year: Sorting It Out, Part 1

My name is Covington, and I am a first-year student returning to Hogwarts.

This wasn't the first time that I've set foot at Hogwarts. A few months ago, I regularly stole to the magical castle under darkness' veil. I was surprised that even as a muggle-born, I was both instantly discovered and welcome by the staff and students at Hogwarts. I was even allowed to sit in a few classes; apparently, this is the only school that I've ever heard of in which students sneak into class. This year, however, I will be attending Hogwarts for real. My mother was adamant about me not going, but a few well-placed distractions caused by yours truly minimized the friction between us like a careful drop of oil applied to two stuck gears.

I spent the whole move-in day tired because I spent the night before packing my stuff. Like a muggle playing Tetris, I tried to fit the most stuff into the least amount of suitcase as possible. My mother "helped" me pack by throwing girly clothes I would never wear, muggle electronic devices, and other stuff I wouldn't have caught dead in at Hogwarts; I threw them back on my bed. Her last words before I left were, "Make sure you watch enough TV at Hogwarts, and make friends with Mindy!" I said goodbye to my brother Kastor - who was still asleep - and dragged my rolling luggage at the door.

Mindy, her mother's (and apparently also my mother's) little darling, was already at the shuttle stop. Her mother was there to hold her bags and wait with her at the stop. Mindy looked as if she was dressed up for a fashion show; her thin frame was sporting skinny jeans, a tight-fitting shirt, and high-heeled shoes. Her face was drenched in makeup. She was lazily looking at a tiny cellphone screen while her hands zipped over its miniature keys - muggle technology. Mindy smirked at me as if I were the one breaking the rules; my face was stoic as I laughed on the inside.

If Mindy were any other person, I would have reminded her that muggle technology was not allowed at Hogwarts. But no, I'd rather have the professors deal with her transgressions. Let her feel the wrath of the magical professorate; let her be made to feel that she was the stupid one. Then after Mindy will be reprimanded, I will find a private place, snicker for a minute or two, and then go on with daily life, reminding myself that Mindy has already won a delinquent mark on the professors' books.

After boarding the express shuttle provided by the school, I ended up directly at Hogwarts. A sea of students poured towards Hogwarts castle. I've spotted several Gryffindors, Hufflepuffs, Ravenclaws, and Slytherins that I've met during my auditing days. Some waved, others smiled. I joined up with a bunch of Gryffindor friends and followed them into the Great Hall. When they got to the Gryffindor table, I sat down with them. I didn't want to leave, but alas, the Headmistress made an announcement that she was about to start the sorting ceremony, and I had to take a seat at the newcomers' row.

Words and names passed in and out of my ears while I thought and thought and thought. Actually, it was more like I worried, worried, and worried. You see, I did not fit exactly into one of the four houses; I was told that I talked like a Ravenclaw, I was subtle like a Slytherin, and I was fair-minded like a Hufflepuff. But I wanted to be a Gryffindor. Gryffindor was my home, my home that I was returning to after a figurative kidnapping. Of all things, I wanted to be strong, noble, and brave.

The Headmistress called my name, and with a shaky gait that betrayed my nervousness, I approached the front of the room and turned to face the audience. A cheer rose from all over the Great Hall and filled the air. I scanned the room to see members of all of the houses wishing that Sorting Hat would place me in their house. My eyes stopped at the Gryffindor table, and my eyes watered up. I couldn't make out anyone's face now; the lights were now spills of brightness in a watery blur. The noise was growing in a quick crescendo. As time stood still, I thought of what I would do if by chance I didn't make it into Gryffindor, a very real possiblily - who I would talk to, who I would switch with, how I would position myself to be portrayed as a mis-sort who belonged in Gryffindor in the first place, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.

I felt the hat on top of my head, and tears gushed out of my eyes.

*The mother, Mindy, and Kastor are characters made specifically for this blog; they aren't real students.

End of Winter Term & Spring Sign-ups!

WOW. The Winter Term of HPKCHC has come to an end. Many of our students had a difficult term. Not concerning classes here at Hogwarts, but rather in the Muggle world. There were floods, erupting volcanoes, kitchen repairs, illness, computer deaths, ailing family, broken cars, job losses. And also positive, yet distracting things. New jobs, new babies, new homes...

The end of term feast celebration was aided by Casey. He provided party hats to all Hogwarts students & got carried away spreading them throughout Ravelry. There were also some fun party games provided by Casey: chase the random buttons, bugs that skittered across the screen, and I've heard rumors of cats & penguins popping out of the site logo banner!

And even though all assignments have been turned in, the final house points have not been tallied. (There is a LOT of work that these professors do for us!) So in a few days, we hope to have the final term points & we can announce the House Cup Champions!

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With the end of term comes the much anticipated Sign-up list for next term. Seven hours after posting the sign-up sheet, there are already over 75 students waiting to be sorted! Term sign-ups will be open through the month of April, and close April 29. Our Sorting Hat is managed by Scarlettb, our Spreadsheet Sorceress. Each student can request his or her top two preferred houses. Or state no preference. ScarlettB has mastered the skills required to keep the sorting fair, keeping the house size even, and keeping the students preferences in mind. This term, as last, returning students have weighted prioity in their house preference. But remember, there is no guarantee that a student will get their top pick. Sometimes the Sorting hat determines a student belongs in a different house.

More updates to follow-- Stay Tuned.