by Medea de Troja
All this time, I’ve taken HOL for granted. The systems, the organisation, and how everything comes naturally to all the students now. It never occurred to me that there was a time when it was not so. When HOL started out, you had to wait a week to know which house you were in and that must have been nerve wracking! I appreciate so much more how quickly the results come in now.
Back then, the points system was a train wreck, waiting to send the school in a civil war between houses over who deserved which points. At that time, the Ravenclaw HoH Rhiannon Llewellyn was a newbie just starting out and the people I know from now aren’t the same anymore. They had their own prefects to go to; our prefects were probably not on HOL then at all.
When this magical place started, it was a dive in the deep end praying that it would work and not end up an utter failure. A whole lot of people, despite ethnicity, religion or age were inspired by a few books to start a magical escape for all the rest of us. You look back and read names you haven’t seen around before and suddenly you feel a part of something much bigger. To think that
When J.K. Rowling first penned Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, she didn’t have the slightest idea it would bring us all together like this. Each house is unique, from Hufflepuffs constantly stealing the House Cup with their fierce dedication, to the Slytherins who could give the Maurauders a run for their money in the trouble making department. From the Gryffindors, homely and chirpy, to the Ravenclaws exterminating all other Quidditch teams on a yearly basis.
But reminiscing aside, let us take a moment to appreciate how smooth and efficient the HOL system is. Before the start of every term, the Head Office takes in new students from all over the world. These have to be categorized and sorted and catalogued. Then classes begin, each one full of students whose work needs to be marked and whose points need to be awarded in time. House magazines need to be published at regular intervals, and HOL Library and HOL Art Department need to be kept alive with constant challenges. At the same time, each house needs to be running smoothly and without glitches with challenges and games to keep us all entertained. Quidditch matches throughout the year have to be organised and trained for and a lot more has to happen to make our stay as comfortable as possible.
Now, let us all take a moment to appreciate what a well-oiled machine of interconnected forums and websites our wonderful HOL is.
Thank you. Now you can all go back to the mischief making that causes our head-of-houses to go grey before their time!
Happy Halloween HOL!