Lydia Figg's Hogwart's Journal

2009-05-25T09:19:00.000-07:00

The Muggle Fairy Tale "Little Red Riding Hood"

You may not be aware that the muggles have stolen a minor historical event from the wizard world and turned it into a "fairy tale" - a story read to small children that everyone understands not to be real. In their tale, a little girl wearing a red hood takes goodies to her grandmother's house. When she gets there she discovers a wolf in her grandmother's bed, wearing her grandmother's nightgown. The wolf attacks the little girl but a hunter wandering by rescues her and her grandmother from the wolf. "And they all live happily ever after" - this is how muggle fairy tales usually end.

My parents told me the story of what really happened:

The little girl in the story was a Hogwarts student in Gryffindor - so really she was wearing a red robe, not just a hood. She was getting a bad grade in her DADA class because she wasn't paying attention in class and her family wanted to teach her a lesson. So they sent her to go see her grandmother, who was an animagous. When she got to her grandmother's house, grandmother turned into a wolf and attacked her. Needless to say the student was terrified. At the last minute, grandmother turned back into a witch. The grandmother and student sat down and had a long talk about the importance of practicing ones countercurses and spells. After that the student went back to Hogwarts, worked really hard and eventually became an Auror.

It is amazing how the muggles can get the facts so mixed up. I guess that is because they don't know anything about magic. Anyway, here is a picture I made for my Ancient Runes class inspired by the Fairy Tale. I had to get my cat to model it because there was no one else in the common room.

End of the Semester Post

2009-04-29T19:21:00.001-07:00

Wow, I can't believe that the end of my first year (swap) at Hogwarts has come to an end. I am not going to be around in the summer but I really enjoyed making a swap kit for my swap pal. And I love the kit I received. Thanks for a great swap!

Busy Week

2009-04-25T05:41:00.000-07:00

It has been a really busy week at Hogwarts. At the end of the semester there is sometimes just too much homework to do! Haven't gotten much knitting done but I really hope to have some cool pictures of finished projects to show in the next day or two.

Quiddich - Round 3 Trivia

2009-04-15T05:16:00.000-07:00

1. This “Harry Potter” character’s first name comes from Roman mythology. The mythological character’s twin brother is named Romulus. What is the Harry Potter character last name? Lupin
2. Which “Harry Potter” character’s first name is the Roman equivalent of the Greed Goddess Athena?
McGonagall
3. In ‘Harry Potter’ World, this wizard has created the Philosopher’s Stone (called the Sorcerer Stone in the US). The historical figure from the 14th and 15th centuries was a scribe and a manuscript-seller who became famous as an alchemist. Who is this individual?
Nicholas Flamel
4. What is the first name of a character whose last name is the name of a Bulgarian leader from early 9th century who doubled the country’s territory?
Viktor
5. Which character’s name is the name of goddess in Indian mythology?
Patil
6. “Where the Wild Things Are” tells the story of Max, a young boy sent to bed without his supper for his wild antics. Who created this winner of the Caldecott Medal?
Maurice Sendak
7. What was NOT one of the unexpected defense mechanisms that Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Griphook encountered in their attempt to rob Gringotts?
The Thieves’ Downfall
8. What was Snape aiming at when he cut off George’s ear?
A Death Eater’s back
9. How much older than James was Lily?
2 months
10. Food is one of the five exceptions to what magical law?
Gamp’s Law of Elemental Transfiguration

Picture Hunt
George

McGonagall

Patil

Wild Things

Homework is Done!!

2009-04-11T05:40:00.000-07:00

1- Who wrote the obituary of Dumbledore in The Daily Prophet? Elphias Doge

2- What is a Squib? A witch or wizard who can't perform magic. Like my Aunt Arabella. But she is still a member of the Order of the Phoenix and I'm really proud of the way she helps out.

3- Who stole the locket Horcrux from the Black House? Mundungus Fletcher

4- What are the Albus Dumbledores' siblings names? Aberforth and Ariana

5- Where did Hermione leave the money for the eggs and bread that they stole from the lonely farm? Under the chicken coop.

6- What is the quote Lily and James Potter have on their tombstone? "The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death."   I'm not exactly sure what that means but I love reading the stuff people put on their tombstones. Does that make me wierd??

7- Why did Gilbert Grindewald leave wizarding school? He got expelled for performing dangerous magic on students. How embarassing.

8- Where does Xeno Lovegood first say that Luna is when Ron, Hermione and Harry visit? Collecting plimpies. I would love to know Luna. She sounds really interesting to me.

9- What wood is the wand from The Deathly Hallows supposed to be made out of? Elder wood.

10- How did Harry, Hermione and Ron escape the vaults of Gringotts? Riding a dragon. I love dragons. You can see pictures of them on my blog.

11- What is the name of the all-female Quidditch team that Ginny has a poster of in her room? Holyhead Harpies.

12- Describe what the Undetectable Extension Charm is. It makes the inside of a space larger than the outside. I want to learn this charm so I can use it for the box I store my yarn stash in. Seriously.

An Owl Came

2009-04-10T06:18:00.000-07:00

An owl came yesterday with the best swap package ever. Squee! When I opened the box I found a great project bag containing the stuff for my bag felting project, cat toys!, gummy worms and cookies which were tasted and proclaimed excellent before I had a chance to photo anything. (If you click on the pictures they will get bigger and stop looking blurry....)
While I was taking photos, the catnip mouse was also "appropriated", tested and proclaimed to be most excellent.
Then I looked inside the felted bag kit and found yarn (with 2 colors of red so I could pick which one looked most Gryffindor), a pattern and Addi Needles. I need to make this bag to get over my fear of felting....

The red and gold bag is beautiful and will make a great project bag for medium sized projects. It has a place for storing knitting needles and a million pockets and the pockets were all FULL.

BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE! Gel pens (which I can never have enough of) PINK skull beads - SQUEE - and other findings to make stitch markers (because I like to make them), and tubes of pink, white and red and gold mixed beads, a red M&M tin for carrying stuff in knitting bags and Body Shop Papaya Body Butter which I will carry in my knitting bag for when I want to knit and my hands are dry.

Thank you Fleur for these most excellent gifts. You really went above and beyond. I hope you like your swap package as much!

Finished Carol's Shawl

2009-04-01T07:19:00.000-07:00

My latest finished object. Made of Interlacements Toasty toes - and yeah, sometimes hand dyed yarn has color variations even within the same skein. The left side clearly doesn't match the right.

Darn muggle yarnz. Anyone know a color fixing spell??

Basilisk??

2009-03-26T19:48:00.001-07:00

I got this new yarn this week:

It is called Basilisk and is made by Muggles who live in Germany. I didn't even knew that Muggles knew about Basilisks. But I think they are scary so I wouldn't use such pretty colors if I were going to dye yarn and call it Basilisk.

Quiddich - Round 2 Trivia

2009-03-16T06:03:00.001-07:00

1. On which day did the Order of the Phoenix come to get Harry?

a. Tuesday

b. Sunday

c. Saturday

d. The day of his 17th birthday

2. During all this chaos with Voldemort and the Death Eaters, people still had lives to live and Ron's oldest brother, Bill decided to marry Fleur Delacour. Who were the uninvited guests at Bill and Fleur's wedding?

a. Voldemort

b. Death Eaters

c. Scrimgeour

d. Grindewald

3. Voldemort had seven Horcruxes hidden in different places. Six of them were hidden at the Gaunt shack, Hogwarts, a cave, inside Harry, inside his snake, Nagini and Tom Riddle's Diary. Did Voldemort hide the last Horcrux inside the Malfoy's vault at Gringotts?

a. Yes

b. No

4. Why did the Dumbledore's move to Godric's Hollow?

a. The reason is unknown

b. They were tired of their old home

c. The father went to Azkaban

d. It was a better place for their children to grow up

5. Harry and Hermione read a part of "Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore," written by Rita Skeeter. Then they met Dumbledore's brother Abeforth and he told them the same story, just with a few details changed. Which of the following did Aberforth and Rita Skeeter agree on about Dumbdore's past?

a. Why the Dumbledore family moved to Godric's Hollow

b. That Dumbledore was friends with Grindelwald for a while.

c. Why nobody outside the family noticed Ariana much

d. The reason for Dumbledore's father's imprisonment in Azkaban.

6. When Harry and Hermione visit Godric's Hollow, they visit the graveyard to see Harry's parent's graves. Harry walks by a tombstone that we later learn belong to tone of "The Three Broother'. The brother buried there once owned what?

a. The resurection stone

b. The cloak

c. The wand

d. The sword

7. The Trio finds out that Luna had been kidnapped by the Death Eaters , and that they won't give her back until they got Harry Potter. Why did they kidnap Luna?

a. Her father sided with Harry and Dumbledore

b. They though he would come to her rescue

c. She was a muggleborn

d. Her father failed as a Death Eater

8. After Voldemort killed Snape, he left the room and Harry came out from under the cloak. Snape gave Harry some of his memories all the way from when he was a child to just months before. Harry dived into the Pensieve and which of the following did he not see?

a. Dumbldore telling Snape that at some point Snape had to kill him.

b. Snape telling Lily she was a witch

c. Snape and Lily having fun in a potions class

d. Snape talking to Dumbledore on a hilltop

9. On the search of the Lost Diadem, Harry finally gets to talk to the Gray Lady. Who was the Gray Lady when she was alive?

a. She didn't remember because she had been dead for so long.

b. Rowena Ravenclaw.

c. Helena Ravenclaw.

d. A girl who was put in ravenclaw 800 years previously

10. Which of these is not one of Harry or Ron's children?

a. Rose

b. Hugo

c. James

d. Victoria

Pictures

Lily

Ron

Snape

Luna

Godric's Hollow

Arithmancy Homework

2009-03-08T19:04:00.000-07:00

After solving the sudoku puzzle you get the letters EDIDNPLYTU. Rearranging them yields the character name Teddy Lupin.

Teddy is the child of Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks (my hero). Both of them died while Teddy was a baby (just like Harry Potter's parent's right?) in the battle at Hogwarts where Harry defeats Voldemort.

Homework

2009-03-02T15:23:00.001-08:00

Its a good thing my mom doesn't read my homework. She might not approve....

"Harry looked around; there was Ginny running towards him; she had a hard, blazing look in her face as she threw her arms around him. And without thinking, without planning it, without worrying about the fact that fifty people were watching, Harry kissed her."

A Finished Knitted Item

2009-02-28T15:30:00.001-08:00

I finished my first ever big lace project today - Icarus in Malabrigo laceweight in the color pearl. I wonder if we are going to be learning how to charm shawls like this? I'd sure like to turn it into an invisibility cloak.

I Got a Present!!!!

2009-02-26T16:42:00.001-08:00

I got an owl carrying a present. It was from Antonio dela Weasley from Hufflepuff and contained a very nice note, sock yarn (he must have known I was making socks for the house elves), stitch markers in red (my favorite color) and CHOCOLATE!

It really made my day. I was taking a break from working on more homework than I think anyone has ever had to do when the owl came. I was completely surprised and I was very happy that someone took time from their day to think of me.

I hope Antonio gets a an owl with a present soon too!!!

Hogsmeade Weekend

2009-02-21T14:43:00.000-08:00

I'm so glad the first years got to go to Hogsmeade this weekend. My first stop was at the Post Office so I could send some of my stitchmarkers to some of my friends from school. I wanted them to be a surprise, so I couldn't risk mailing them from school.

Then I went to Honeydukes Sweetshop and bought some chocolate frogs. They are enchanted to look like real frogs but they are made out of the best chocolate ever! And I love chocolate.

Now I'm back in the G common room working on my knitting. Those house elves are going to love their socks!

Quiddich - Trivia

2009-02-18T16:34:00.000-08:00

Answers have * next to them...

1. What momentous event was the reason that the members of the Order of the Phoenix felt it necessary to move Harry out of the Dursley’s house?
a. The start of the new school year
b. The Dursleys kicking him out
c. Voldemort’s escape from Azkaban
*d. Harry’s upcoming birthday

2. Who revealed the actual date of Harry’s transfer to Voldemort, despite the misinformation the Order had been spreading around that the move would occur on the eve of his actual birthday?
a. Mundungus
*b. Snape
c. Yaxley
d. Shacklebolt

3. With the use of Polyjuice Potion (and to confuse any possible attack by Death Eaters), six member of the Order were disguised as Harry and escorted out of Privet Drive, along with the real Harry. Which member of the order did not survive that night?
*a. Mad-Eye Moody
b. Nymp0hadora Tonks
c. Hagrid
d. George Weasley

4. Who informed Harry, Ron and Hermione of the bequests left to them in Dumbledore’s will?
a. Kingley Shaclebolt
b. Minerva McGonalgall
c. Arthur Weasley
*d. Rufus Scimgeour

5. During the wedding celebration for Bill and Fleur, Kingley Shacklebolt sent a Patronus to tell the guests that the Ministry had fallen, Scrimgeour (the Minister) was dead and the wedding celebration was about to be attacked by Death Eaters. What form did the Patronus take?
*a. A lynx
b. An otter
c. A doe
d. A stag

6. Escaping from the wedding to London, our three friends found themselves confronted by a pair of Death Eaters, disguised as workmen. This close brush impressed on them the need to find someplace to hide. Where did they decide to go?
a. The Leaky Cauldron
*b. Sirius Black’s house
c. The Dursley’s house
d. Ron’s Auntie Muriel’s house

7. Kreacher’s animosity towards Harry, Ron and especially Hermione (a Mudblood) was well documented in book five, “The Order of the Phoenix.” His initial interaction with them showed that his attitude had not changed. How did they win him over?
a. By giving him clothes and his freedom
b. They didn’t win him over!
c. By giving him something to eat
*d. By giving him Regulus Black’s old locket

8. Who did they eventually find was in possession of the locket/Horcrux?
a. Severus Snape
b. Lucius Malfoy
c. Lord Voldemort
*d. Dolores Umbridge

9. What did Harry find embedded in the door of Umbrdige’s office?
*a. Moody’s magical eye
b. Nymphadora’s purple hair
c. Hedwig’s head
d. George Weasley’s ear

10. After retrieving the Horcrux, they tried to return to their safe place but they were pursued (actually Yaxley tagged along when they disapparated). This meant that the Death Eaters knew their hiding place and they had to go somewhere else. Where did Hermione take them?
a. To Godric’s Hollow
b. To the Forbidden Forest
c. Back to the Burrow
*d. To the site of the Quidditch World Cup

Picture Scavenger Hunt

Mad-Eye Moody

Nymphadora Tonks

George Weasley

The Dursley's House

Kreacher

Anyone Know a Spell??

2009-02-12T19:18:00.000-08:00

Anyone know a swift fixing spell? I got some new yarn to make my hand-knit item for my spoilee and couldn't wait to wind it. Unfortunately, the swift I usually borrow to do these things is broken. (It had a bad experience with its owner's 3 year old.)

I tried casting "reparo" on it but it didn't work. Is that the wrong spell or do you think I'm doing it wrong??

2009-02-05T12:33:00.000-08:00

This is my cat Molly. She is trying to look sweet in this picture. Molly likes to hide behind things and then appear out of nowhere. You might see her in the common room so I thought I should put up a picture so everyone would know whose monster, I mean pet, she is.

Stitchmarkers

2009-02-04T04:51:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone, look at the stitchmarkers I made. Think any of the other Hogwarts students would like some??

2009-02-03T05:48:00.000-08:00

Quiz Answers

1. What are your three most favorite colors?

Red, purple and pink – but no “red hat society” combinations!

2. What are you three least favorite colors? Harvest gold, avocado green and peach.

3. Your favorite candy is chocolate covered pecan/caramel clusters – actually chocolate covered anything.

4. Who is your favorite Weasley? Ginny or Fleur Delacour (does she count since she married into the family?)

5. Do you knit, crochet, or both? Both – but I prefer to knit

6. What type of kit did you ask for? Socks or fingerless mitts - whatever kit my spoiler thought she had the coolest idea for….

7. Acrylic— (a) has its uses, (b) should all be burned, (c) best yarn to work with? (a) good for charity and baby projects

8. Who is the Gryffindor Head Girl? Millicent Brocklehurst

9. Name four "extras" you would love to receive in your kit.

Little scissors, lingerie bags (for washing socks), Chibi needles (the small size), things with pink skulls on them.

10. What are your three most favorite scents? lavender, citrus and Chanel Coco

11. Do you prefer salty or sweet snacks? Why can’t I have both? Um – sweet then.

12. Which Gryffindor and Slytherin students are sisters in real life? Quinn and me. But I also know that Emma Wigworthy and Lizzie Wychwood are twin sisters.

13. Do you really need more stitch markers? Not on your life – I make them.

14. DPNs, circular, or straight? Only circular – but I think I’m set for now!

15. Favorite yarn? Malabrigo – any weight. Dream yarn? Wollmeise

16. Favorite HP Movie? Prisoner of Azkaban

17. Favorite HP character? Professor McGonagall

18. What is your favorite pattern? Clapotis – it’s like crack I tell you!

New Socks!

2009-02-02T17:01:00.000-08:00

I love knitting socks. I have more socks than I can wear, so I think some day I might try knitting some for some of the house elves. I don't exactly know what sized feet they have, though.

Today I started a new pair of socks out of Opal yarn named after Tonks, who is one of my niece's heroes. No fancy pattern because the yarn is so fancy. I don't normally knit with self-patterning yarns, but the colors in this yarn are so crazy I just couldn't resist it.

My First Day at Hogwarts!

2009-01-26T09:27:00.001-08:00

Hi,

I'm Lydia Figg and the sorting hat put my in Gryffindor. Yay! My Aunt is Arabella Figg and I love cats just like she does.

Lydia