HPKCHC : May Classes (S15)

Good morning fellow badgers, eagles, snakes, and lions!

Now that I've wrapped up my first month in the Harry Potter Knitting and Crochet House Cup as a sorted student, I thought I would share the classes I turned in:

Care of Magical Creatures

The prompt:  Craft something based on thestrals or acromantulas.

Professors, in my study of thestrals this month, I came across another winged species of horse known as the alicorn. In particular, this mythical creature has made a resurgence in Muggle media, and I have a few close friends that are enamored by this particular animal.

Though they are not skeletal like thestrals, alicorns do possess wings with which to fly. They are also horse-like in appearance, but have feathered wings instead of leathery, as well as an additional protruding horn.

Still, these distant relations to thestrals were quite fascinating to study, and I’m glad I took the time to look them up in the thestral footnotes.

Thank you for your time, professors!



Charms

The prompt: Craft something reminiscent of water, or to protect from water.

Professors, our study of the aguamenti spell has caused me to recall all the wonderful trips I had made to the ocean with friends and family over the years. I’ve always been charmed by the many naturally-beautiful hues of the rolling ocean waves, and decided that my attempt at reproducing the aguamenti spell must reflect those delicious, aqueous colors.

Thus, I have developed a pattern and crafted a trio of tiny hexi vials that have captured the many-layered hues of the ocean. I hope to share my new pattern with the Hogwarts school library soon! One of these vials is for me, and another I am trading with karagenknight as fulfillment for one of her house badges! The other is for another friend I met along the NQFY course this past term.

Thank you for considering my homework, professors. What an exciting (and useful!) way to share my love of the seaside with new friends.



Defense Against the Dark Arts

The prompt:  Craft something that has a final 'hardening' or 'setting' step.

Professors, I received a charming bracelet in the mail, but I looked at the cheap Muggle band to which the focal bead was attached and knew I could use a fortify spell to turn the simple blue string into three-ply hemp. Additionally, I applied some of Mendigann’s Magical Glue to the frayed knots in order to set them into shape and harden them against continual usage. Thank you for your time!



Divination

The prompt:  Use two colors to create one object.

VelvetKey pauses hesitantly by the telescopes, clearly unsure what she should be doing. She listens carefully to the professors before daring to look through the eyepiece of the nearest telescope. After several long minutes and more than a few gasps of delight at the celestial bodies overhead, the first-year Hufflepuff student settles down to craft up a report.

Professors, for my first Divination lesson, I was fortunate enough to find the Butterfly Nebula, which was high in the sky for the time of night. Not far away, I saw a very bright formation of stars, which I later searched out using the “winter-net” (a Muggle invention, but very useful; especially for streaming episodes of Doctor Who). The formation was actually an asterism known as the Summer Triangle. The color of the nebula and the name of the asterism evoked a desire to make a summer wrap for a friend--she is a coastal sea elf, and loves cool, natural colors. I do beg for your secrecy, professors--it is a surprise gift for our meeting at the end of the month!



History of Magic

The prompt: Craft something that offers a form of protection, even if it won't last.

Professors, many strange and unusual creatures have only one specific environment in which they can survive naturally. Merpeople, for example, must have water to breathe. It made me wonder: could some of these unique alien and magical creatures survive if they had some sort of manufactured protection, such as a suit with water inside?

In my research on the Muggle “winter-net” I found a most interesting documentary, filmed right here the UK. It is called Doctor Who, and even the Muggles seem to believe it. I do doubt some of the practical methods at work in this documentary (after all, Muggles do seem to enjoy a plethora of special effects), but in particular there is one alien race that uses suits to protect themselves in order to move through the galaxy as we do: the Daleks.

I decided to try my hand at reproducing one of these protective casings, and then if successful gift it to a friend in the Ministry of Magic’s Creature Containment division for use and study. I hope that this project meets with your approval, professors!



Muggle Studies

The prompt: Craft something based on a postage stamp (provide picture of stamp).

Good evening, professors! I was very intrigued by your class prompt and immediately went to do some research on (laughably enough) one of those Muggle “winter-net” devices. (I think that’s what they’re called.)

A very helpful incantation known as Google helped me to discover this set of vintage postage stamps:

Which I thought were very simple and lovely. I immediately set about trying to reproduce that style of tree…unfortunately, I’m only a first-year student and…well…I think I shrunk it?

Potions

The prompt: Craft something based on potion ingredients.

Professors, in reading the ingredient list for this potion, I was struck by how many potion ingredients are plant-based. In the interest of finding renewable resources for gathering these ingredients, I have discovered an adorable living sapling that willingly surrenders it’s extra leaves and stray roots for magical use. As it grows, I expect that we might yet discover many new uses for these provided resources, and look forward to the challenge. Here is the little sapling, posed with some of my other potion ingredients.



Transfiguration

The prompt: Craft something in an unusual color (for you or for that something).

Hello professors! I have long been fascinated by the recurring cycles of Muggle fashions and trends throughout their history. As a half-Muggle myself, I recalled with some laughter the tales of my wizarding father and his strange, enchanted VW van. The charm was rather harmless; it changed the outside of the van to whimsical colors and designs whenever the weather would change. My father would drive up and down the west coast, his surfboard strapped to the top of his van…searching for the perfect waves and the perfect girl. For all his Muggle eccentricities, he did meet my mother who was a native of California. She loved art, and his van was no exception. I found a similar representation of his van here:

And thought a simpler, toned down version might be ideal for this assignment. Thus, I charmed my replica to be an unexpected simple, calming blue, better to blend in with the Muggle vehicles of today, and not the days when my parents were cruising up and down the beaches, getting into all kinds of trouble.

I hope you accept my homework, professors. Thank you!

Detention

I’m joining the Hufflepuff yarn bomb here in Detention!

After finicking about with this ridiculous (and might I add next-to-super-unhelpful pattern) hat, I am pleased to show it is finished.

Of course, it’s soft nature is perfect for keeping the noggin warm in all sorts of inclement missions--I mean,weather. Additionally, I invented and added padded bands to encircle the cranium, providing extra armor in order to deflect offensive spells while out in a miss--weather. Of course I meant weather.

Additionally, I will be developing a separate beard that may or may not be able to optionally attach inside the helm for added concealment and costuming for use during missio--confound it, weather!

Ahem.

So as you can see, professors, there are quite a lot of uses for this particular item. And I am so glad it is finished!

Yes, it was a busy, busy month for classes!  Next time, I'll talk a little bit more about Puffopoly, the Hufflepuff game where turning in classes and etc. gets you moves around a Monopoly-like board.

Craft on!