Technically this is homework for the Badgers, but since some of them aren't going to do it, I may as well even out the numbers a little by doing this...

1. If this was your first HSKS, have you enjoyed yourself. If you are alumni, was this term better than other terms (if so how)?
This was my first HSKS and my first swap in general. I've really enjoyed getting to know others around the school, especially Cassandra, my swap partner.

2. Will you be returning for HSKS7?
I would really like to return for HSKS7, but we'll have to see what's going on in real life at that point. I'm not sure what my situation is going to be, so it's difficult to say.

3. What is your favorite part of HSKS?
I enjoyed getting to try out different crafting techniques and this swap was a first for so many things (mini-sock, bag, cabling, colorwork, just to name a few). It was also fun to go poking around on Cassandra's blog trying to find a good gift for her without having to ask her directly, as that tends to spoil the surprise. Winning the first Quidditch match of the term was also a definite plus.

4. If you had the chance to switch houses next term would you? What house would you be in?
It's hard to say. I've really loved being in Slytherin, but I wouldn't mind being in Ravenclaw or even Hufflepuff maybe. Well... I wouldn't mind being in Ravenclaw. With some of the people in Hufflepuff, it could potentially be a problem.

5. Are there any problems that you need to talk to the Head Girl or Prefects about?
Other than wanting to hex one of the the Badgers into oblivion, no. But Centy's already taking care of that with a duel. Best of luck to her!

6. Has your Spoiler been in contact with you about your package?
On and off... I haven't been in contact with Dagmara as much as I've been talking to Cassandra, but we have talked occasionally.

7. Have you been in contact with your Spoilee to let them know you are still with us? ;)
Yes! Though real life gets crazy and Snape assigns way too much homework for the good of anyone (well, between him and Professor Vector... bleh), Cassandra and I have talked fairly regularly thoughout the course of the swap. Sometimes it has been in the corridors between classes and other times, it's been leaving a note for the other person. But yeah. :)

1. Who was Tom Riddle Sr.'s girlfriend before Merope gave him the love potion?
a. Eleanor
b. Cecilia
c. Sally
d. Mandy

2. What does Luna say floated into Harry's ear when he was in the train car that supposedly caused him to lose focus?
a. Demiguise
b. Jobberknoll
c. Wrackspurt
d. Runespoor

3. How much do the primary Apparition lessons cost?
a. 10 galleons
b. 8 galleons
c. 15 galleons
d. 12 galleons

4. What is Professor Merrythought's first name?
a. Eileen
b. Galatea
c. Carol
d. Jocelyn

5. What Hogwarts club was Eileen Prince captain of?
a. Charms Club
b. Gobstones Club
c. The Slug Club
d. Occlumency Club

6. Who is head of the Goblin Liaison office?
a. Ambrosius Flume
b. Dirk Cresswell
c. Ciceron Harkiss
d. Barnabas Cuffe

7. Mrs. Weasley offers Fleur a goblin-made tiara for the wedding with Bill. What family member is currently in possession of the tiara?
a. Aunt Muriel
b. Aunt Ethel
c. Aunt Edna
d. Aunt Thelma

8. How many points does Snape take from Gryffindor for Harry's late arrival and muggle attire?
a. 30
b. 70
c. 50
d. 90

9. When Profressory Slughorn first meets Hermione, he asks her whether she is related to Hector Dagworth-Granger. What society did Dgworth-Granger found?
a. The Most Extraordinary Society of Charms
d. The Most Extraordinary Society of Herbology
c. The Most Extraordinary Society of the Defense Against the Dark Arts
d. The Most Extraordinary Society of Potioneers

10. Which of these describes Golpalott's Third Law?
a. The antidote for blended poison will be equal to less than the sum of the antidotes for each of the separate components
b. The antidote for a blended poison will be equal to less than the product of the antidotes for each of the separate compenents
c. The antidote for a blended poison will be equal to more than the product of the antidotes for each of the separate compenents
d. The antidote for a blended poison will be equal to more than the sum of the antidotes for each of the separtea components

Almost done...

Xeno's Messenger Bag

( Read Behind the Cut )

In other news, I'm excited because Dagmara dropped into say that Palonious was going to be on his way with a package for me! And I'll be sending Prometheus off with stuff for Cassandra this week, which means I'll have to either wait to send the stuff for SPEW or borrow one of the school owls. Or maybe Connor Page will let me borrow his. I don't think he ever uses her.

Things have been going by very quickly. I've already begun listening to Christmas music in my dormitory room... I do hope Penelope doesn't mind... Thankfully it hasn't started snowing here yet.

I've managed to find time in and amongst an essay for Transfiguration, studying for an Arithmancy exam and, of course, Potions homework, to finish the hat I'm making for SPEW. So Monday it'll be going off to Cliodnia. It's actually a nice hat, despite being blue and white rather than green and grey or black.

I'm also nearly done with the stuff I'm getting for Cassandra, so cross your fingers that it'll be out by the end of this week! It'll be early, but unfortunately not early enough to earn points for DA. Oh well... Next time I'll be a little more used to knitting large projects and managing time with that... the bag I'm making her is really the first major project... it's the first thing I've really done that uses something other than a knit stitch  (whether in the round or not).

I'm also quite pleased because Connor's cousin - Connor's that kind of cute boy I saw earlier when we were being Sorted - was able to get some of the Muggle candy Cassandra likes, so that will also be going in her package. I'll have to send Prometheus with plenty of owl treats so he doesn't get too curious and decide to try human food. Le sigh.

In other news, Professor Snape always makes me feel stupid. He's so smart and I don't know how he knows everything he does... but when I went to ask him a question about the homework we were supposed to do and he was explaining it to me - at least he bothers to explain... - I felt really stupid.

That's all for now. I should really go now and finish that Arithmancy homework for Professor Vector's class...

-Argentia

#1 What are the three important things in Chapter 13 Harry needs to remember?
Firstly that Tom Riddle showed contempt for what made him ordinary, like his name. Second that he did not have friends and was independent; Dumbledore does not believe Voldemort has ever had... or wanted... a friend. Thirdly that Tom liked to collect "trophies" and objects that were somehow unique and special.


#2 What did Merope sell when she was alone in London before the baby was born?
The locket that once belonged to Salazar Slytherin. Pity she only got ten Galleons for it.


#3 What does Mrs Cole like to drink?
Her beverage of choice is gin.


#4 What does Tom Riddle demand Professor Dumbledore do twice when they first met?
Tom insists twice that Dumbledore tell him the truth. The first time he is yelling; the second time, he appears to be slightly more in control of himself.
He also asks Dumbledore to do magic and Dumbledore demonstrates by lighting the wardrobe on fire.


#5 What did Mundungus nick from the Black house?
The locket Regulus had Kreacher steal, amongst other objects that are not specifically mentioned other than being "Black heirlooms", according to Phineas.

Homework is the highlight of my week thus far, but I'm also making a scarf and I'll be donating it to a charity.

So we were supposed to get a picture of what we did last night for our homework. Mine isn't great, but here it is. It's on Muggle film and while it was developing in my room, someone came in and blurred my face out and put a new one on. :( I won't be happy if it's that stupid Puffball who has been following me around.

I've been working on a lot of stuff for my various classes and I have been knitting. Quite a bit, in fact. Not only have I been making my own House tie, but I'm also working on cabling the handle to the bag I'm making for Cassandra. She's a Ravenclaw. I've even been taking my knitting with me in my bag around the castle; hopefully that will help me get done with what I am doing more quickly.

In other news, I've been getting ready for Prometheus to take something else out to another lucky student soon. Hopefully that will go out by the beginning of next week at the latest.

So we have had our midterms this past week and I hate to say that Professor Snape's class - no matter how much I study - is kicking my ass. I am surprised I have still managed to maintain Es on my essays for his class. Charms and DADA are going well, as always; Professor Flitwick is wonderful to us first years and I seem to be improving in the practical aspects of the class. DADA with Professor Whitmarsh is... interesting. Several of the girls in our class cannot seem to get ahold of themselves. Whenever he says something, they giggle hysterically, thus interrupting the lesson while the rest of us wait for them to calm down. Unfortunately, most of these girls are Slytherins, though a few are from the other Houses, as well.

Unforunately, we have our Arithmancy midterm tomorrow. As nice as Professor Vector is (and as much as she is one of my favorite professors here), her exams are quite difficult. Not as difficult as Professor Snape's or even McGonigall's, but challenging in their own right. I told Penelope that I would help her study for the exam, as she does not like Arithmancy... and as much as I dislike it, at least I am managing somewhere between an E and an O in that class right now. We also have our Transfiguration midterm later this week, which is rather unfortunate. I am crossing my fingers that McGonigall doesn't put a question about Gamp's Law on the exam, as I can never explain it to satisfaction.

In other news, I recieved an owl the other day. It has some wonderful presents for my spoilee in the package and I cannot wait to get the rest of my kit finished for Cassandra. I think she is really going to like it! I also recieved a nice shipment of beads and wire so I can make some stitch counters. I already made a set and they're really nice... I think I'll take pictures and put them up here later. They're for a friend of mine. I also might be making another friend a snake for Christmas. Such wonderful things, they are.

That is all for now, as I have to go work on some homework for Professor Vector and an essay for Professor Snape's class. We have a double potions session on Tuesday afternoon with Hufflepuff and I don't want to be unprepared for that; he seems to like picking on me more than anyone else in that class, so I want to show him that I'm better than he thinks I am. Obviously, that man thinks very little of me, but what else is new?

I'm a half-blooded Slytherin. Even my father was disappointed when I was put here instead of Ravenclaw. I never asked the Hat to put me here. In fact, I never asked it anything at all. It just did put me here. I heard Slytherin himself didn't like half-bloods, so what are people like me doing in this House? Does that mean there's something wrong with the system or something? Or is that just the way things work? If I actually trusted Professor Snape to answer honestly - I am not sure I do - I would ask him about this.

Le sigh. Another week of exams, essays and trying to avoid Rufus Hufindor. He's a stupid 'Puffball and if he doesn't watch his step, he'll find himself with blue skin and green hair and hexed into the Hospital Wing by a certain Slytherin whose father's Ravenclaw background influenced her to go into the library and look up curses and practice them. I swear if he follows me to Potions again, I'm going to ask Professor Snape to help me get rid of him. He's been driving all of us crazy since before Hogsmeade.

I have to go. Someone's at the door.

#1 What are the three important things in Chapter 13 Harry needs to remember.
Firstly that Tom Riddle showed contempt for what made him ordinary, like his name. Second that he did not have friends and was independent; Dumbledore does not believe Voldemort has ever had... or wanted... a friend. Thirdly that Tom liked to collect "trophies" and objects that were somehow unique and special.


#2 What did Merope sell when she was alone in London before the baby was born.
The locket that once belonged to Salazar Slytherin. Pity she only got ten Galleons for it.


#3 What does Mrs Cole like to drink?
Her beverage of choice is gin.


#4 What does Tom Riddle demand Professor Dumbledor do twice when they first met?
Tom insists twice that Dumbledore tell him the truth. The first time he is yelling; the second time, he appears to be slightly more in control of himself.
He also asks Dumbledore to do magic and Dumbledore demonstrates by lighting the wardrobe on fire.


#5 What did Mundungus nick from the Black house?
The locket Regulus had Kreacher steal, amongst other objects that are not specifically mentioned other than being "Black heirlooms", according to Phineas.


Well, that was our quiz. I still have much other homework to do... Arithmancy for Professor Vector, a huge Potions essay and an extra credit puzzle from Professor Snape and to practice for Professor Flitwick's class. And I really need to get some sleep tonight. That is all for now.

-Argentia Pascal, Slytherin <3

I have been extremely busy with homework as of late. Professor Snape has assigned us first years another essay, McGonigall and Flitwick have both given us practical homework to work on and I'm still working on knitting that bag.

On the bright side, there are several Slytherins who enjoy knitting and/or crocheting. On Thursday night after classes let out, we went down into the Common Room and sat in the chairs, drank coffee and tea and knit. Someone also brought some cookies from the kitchen; I guess that person is on good terms with the House Elves.

So we sat around knitting for about an hour and a half. There were even some boys there, although I do not remember their names. It was quite fun and I hope we can get together and knit again sometime soon.

That is all for now, as I still have a Potions exam to study for, Transfiguration homework, a Charms quiz later this week and Arithmancy homework that Professor Vector assigned us.

She is quickly becoming my favorite professor. When I was talking to her the other day, she said that she was in school with Father. Apparently she was a year behind them and they were both in Ravenclaw. She is also a half-blood, which makes me feel slightly more reassured. I don't think there are many non-purebloods here in Slytherin, though.

Now I really need to go do homework... or knit.

-Argentia Pascal

Chapter 10 in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is entitled "The House of Gaunt". This brief assignment is to explain the significance of this chapter in context of the entire book, so that is what I shall endeavour to do. Thankfully, I still have the copy of the book from the library for another few weeks before Madam Pince takes it back. Or I shall just have to request to borrow it again.

Upon reading this chapter when I first read the book, I had no idea of the connection and the significance it had with the rest of the series as a whole.

This chapter begins with Ron, Harry and Hermione arguing over the possible identity of the mysterious Half-Blood Prince when Harry finds out he is going to be late for his lesson with Dumbledore. When he arrives at Dumbledore's office, the Headmaster explains to Harry that they will be finding out as much as they can about Voldemort's past... and that much of this is going to be guesswork along the way. To piece together the information, Dumbledore uses memories and the Pensieve.

They proceed to enter into the memory of Bog Ogden, a Ministry worker who worked in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. They follow Ogden to a mysterious house in Little Hangleton. It is interesting to note that the house appears to be deserted and in very poor shape; perhaps a parallel can be drawn between this house and the outside of Spinner's End. (Speculation: This might be part of what drew Snape towards Voldemort as a teenager.)

A second point of interest is the snake on the door and the fact that Bob Ogden cannot understand Marvolo and Morfin speak to one another. Since they are descendents of Salazar Slytherin - as stated later in the chapter - they both have the ability to speak Parseltongue and Merope can at least understand it (I don't recall her ever speaking it). Though they are not the "typical pure-blood" family that many readers think of when someone mentions "pureblood" (ie, the Malfoys and the Blacks would both be "typical"), there is strong evidence that Marvolo hates Muggles, as he screams at Merope and calls her a dirty Squib when she doesn't use her wand to repair a broken pot.

Third point of interest is when we see the tension between the Gaunt family. Merope has seen Tom Riddle, Sr. out the window and stares longingly after him. He's handsome and like any other teenaged girl, she's attracted to this. However, he is also a Muggle; both her father and brother view it as an abomination and disgrace for her to even glance at him. This goes back to the original reason for Ogden's visit (and hence the memory). Morfin, the brother, planted a nasty hex on Tom, which is against the law. The memory itself ends when Ogden leaves, running for his life.

When Dumbledore and Harry are back at the Castle, Harry finds out that Merope was Voldemort's mother and she bewitched Tom Riddle, Sr. to fall in love with her. Unfortunately Tom abandoned Merope and she died after giving birth to Voldemort, so he was raised in an orphanage. We also find out that the ring that Dumbledore now has in his possession once belonged to the Gaunt family... and so did Salazar Slytherin's locket. The latter would make sense, seeing as how Voldemort is the heir of Slytherin (Chamber of Secrets). Likely Tom Riddle's abandonment of Merope fueled the hatred Voldemort had towards Muggles and Muggle-borns even more.

• Voldemort, Severus Snape and Harry are all half-bloods. Snape and Voldemort both end up in Slytherin and the Sorting Hat wanted to put Harry there.
• Interesting to note that both Snape and Voldemort tried to hide their Muggle heritage. Some of this may have to do with being in Slytherin (a survival tactic!), but it would also be reasonable to assume that both wanted acceptance amongst their peers and the only way either of them saw to go about that was to adopt the "pure-blood superiority".
• Voldemort's mother (Merope), Snape and Harry all grew up in homes that had some degree of unfair mistreatment present. From chapter 10, the violence in the Gaunt household is obvious. Mr. Snape appears to have been abusive to his wife and Severus unable to stop it. Harry was underfed and pushed out of the way by the Dursley family.
• This chapter begins the "guesswork" that Dumbledore and Harry go through, setting the tone for the rest of the book, including the memory with Slughorn and the Horcrux that RAB (Regulus Black?) destroyed with the help of Kreacher.

Though this chapter does not appear to be directly connected to the rest of the book, it is an integral part to the entire series and tells much of the background that is necessary to understand the relationships involving Voldemort. In order to understand someone, it is important to know as much about that person's past as possible because people - even Voldemort - are motivated by what has happened to them before. And Voldemort is extremely important for Harry Potter to understand because of the prophecy of neither one can live while the other survives. So, in order to live, Harry basically has to kill Voldemort...

# Are you a sock knitter?What are your foot measurements?
I am not a sock knitter yet, but I want to learn how to do that. My feet are approximately 9.5 inches in length and a little over four in width at their widest point. If you need more measurements, please ask.

# Do you have a yarn winder and/or a swift?
Considering that I have absolutely no idea what either of those are, no.

# Where/how to you keep you needles/hooks?
I have a plastic craft box that I picked up at Walmart for pretty cheap and I store all my knitting and crocheting things in there, minus the yarn. This includes, scissors, an annotated print-out of whatever pattern I happen to be working on, safety pins, knitting needles, crochet hooks, sewing and tapestry needles, thread... the box does not have compartments.

# Do you collect anything?
Apparently I collect a whole variety of odd things, most notably pens and notebooks. I love notebooks. Oh, and pens. Pens are wonderful things. Since I enjoy writing, this makes them especially useful. And I collect stuffed animals. Right now, mostly it's a marine theme going, but yeah... o.O

# What is your favorite type of music? Are you MP3 ready?
I love instrumental music. I think I mentioned - either on this blog or my blogger account, which I use to comment on the HSKS blog - that I love the Star Wars and Harry Potter soundtrack music... basically anything by John Williams. And no, sadly I don't own any of his stuff yet; I've happened to have seen all the Star Wars movies and listened to the Harry Potter soundtrack with a friend. I have an iPod, but I don't use it very often... if that answers your other question.

# Do you like sweets? What are your favorites?
Yes, but I'm fairly picky. I love spearmint anything. Chocolate is good, but a lot of it has milk or nuts... both very bad things. Sour candies are nice, but not nearly as nice as spearmint. Peppermint is okay, too.

# What is your living situation like? Any pets? Children?
I live in a dormitory on a university campus with a roommate. Unfortunately, we aren't allowed to have pets... the closest I have is a stuffed fish.

# Do you have an online wish list (Amazon, Etsy, Loopy Ewe, etc.)? Please include links for your swap pal.
I don't have an online wishlist, but you can ask me anything and I'll answer honestly... or have someone else ask if you don't want to. I love soft yarns and prefer wooden needles... I recently acquired a pair of 1.5 dpns for myself, but other than that, I don't have anything smaller than a size 3.

# Favorite Harry Potter movie character?
Movie? That's hard because I like the books so much better, but that's to be expected. I'd have to say best adaptation in my mind was Minerva McGonigall. It's hard because I actually haven't seen the fourth or fifth movie yet (saw the first three before I read any of the books, then finished books one through seven in less than a month). I'm also going to have to say I love Snape and Rickman's portrayal of him was absolutely brilliant. Of course, I could also say the same for Lucius Malfoy...
Just to guage, my favorite book characters are Severus Snape and Remus Lupin.

Well, I went shopping in Hogsmeade today. Yes, I know first years are not supposed to leave campus without a good reason, but I begged Professor Vector - she's the Arithmancy professor and is quite nice - to let me go, provided I was accompanied by an older student. She is so much kinder than Professor Snape is.

I bought a few school supplies that were desperately needed, including a book. I also purchased a few items for a friend of mine, so soon some lucky other student at Hogwarts is going to have a special breakfast delivery. I shall convince Prometheus to deliver this package, as he is fully competent when he's not hungry.

Well, we have a lot of Potions homework tonight and McGonigall assigned an essay for Transfiguration, so I'll be needing to do that. Until I talk next,

<3, Tia Pasca

Well, this is Round One of Quidditch... let's see how well I can do without a reference book with me...

Nota Bene: Answers are bolded, other choices are crossed out.
 

( let's fly! - Quidditch quiz is behind this cut )</div>

  I cannot believe I forgot to write about my adventures at Diagon Alley. Well, Father took me there right before I had to leave for school. That's where we go shopping for all our school supplies. Robes, books, supplies for Potions... nothing for Quidditch, thank goodness. I would be utterly mortified if anyone found out, but I am absolutely terrified of heights.

And this is a picture of Prometheus. He is my pet owl. I wanted a black kneazle, but they did not have any. Which is quite unfortunate if you ask me. He's actually a long-eared owl, but he's a dark grey in color. I am not sure he likes me because he bit my right ear.

I also got my wand from Mr. Ollivander. Apparently the core is a rare core. It's a demiguise hair/dragon heartstring blend and the outside is oak, stained to a nice, dark color. It is almost the color of the dark grey on Prometheus, in fact. Mr. Ollivander said it was flexible swishy (my bad) and Father said that was a good thing. He said it would make learning charms and stuff a little bit easier than with a powerful wand.

I thought I should get a journal entry in before I head off to morning classes. History of Magic is first, then Transfiguration, then Potions. After class, I have detention again with Professor Snape. That man must be easily insulted or something.

-Tia Pascal

P.S. When will they get a fire in here? It is always quite chilly in the Slytherin CR.

Well, there's not much to say, other than the fact that I missed the start of term feast in the Great Hall. There is actually a story behind that, which is rather a shameful nature to write, but I shall go ahead and record it here. For memories that are not recorded are lost upon death and most Slytherins would not want to die... at least that is what I have been told.

The day started off perfectly fine and Rowena - she's one of my room mates this term - and I were unpacking our things. I heard something make a really large crash in the Common Room, only when I looked out there, there was nothing except for some man with long-ish hair and a really big nose. At the time, I did not know this was Professor Snape and I assure you detention could have been avoided had I known.

"Hello there." I said. I saw he had spilled something that looked like a greenish liquid, about the color of freshly cut grass. "Are you a student? Or are you just visiting us here? And if so, how'd you get access to our Common Room?" I drew my wand and pointed down at the broken glass covering the floor.

In retrospect, that may not have been the wisest idea. For that, I got detention and I would be mortified if anyone else found out. If that is truly the case, I shouldn't be writing it in here, but Father - being the eternally wise Ravenclaw he is - told me that you'll repeat the same mistakes over and over until you actually take the time to learn from them.

And for that comment - and drawing my wand, no doubt - Professor Snape gave me detention. I doubt he wanted Slytherin to start off with negative House Points this term. I spent most of the time scrubbing out old cauldrons and labeling Potions supplies. I suppose it could have been worse, but I hope he does not choose to tell my classmates or fellow Slytherins where I was. I do not know how well he can keep a secret, but I think it'd be pretty well. After all, he is a Slytherin and we are excellent at not telling people what they want to know.

-Argentia

P.S. Now I shall either have to find a way to charm this thing into locking or hide it under my pillow.

This is me in my school uniform... I think I look really horrible. >.<