Head of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
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Warning!
At least some content in this article is derived from information featured in Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery. Spoilers will be present within the article. |
The House Points Scramble competition was held during the 1986–1987 school year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to challenge the students in the four house values. Each student who completed a trial would be awarded house points, and thus the competition was considered to be able to upset the existing house point leaderboard.[1]
History[]
Headmaster Albus Dumbledore announced the tournament to the school in the Great Hall. He explained that each Head of House would organise a trial, and that students could complete the trials in any order they wish, or only complete some of the trials. He also mentioned that the student who completed all the trials the fastest would win bonus house points. Jacob's sibling and Nymphadora Tonks held a bet between the two of them that whoever was fastest would win bragging rights. Jacob's sibling won this bet, as they completed all the trials and were the fastest overall.[1]
McGonagall's trial[]
- "This trial will test your courage and nerve, both core values of Gryffindor House."
- — Minerva McGonagall[src]
McGonagall with the caged pixies
Professor Minerva McGonagall's trial consisted of the students having to dodge a pack of pixies whilst flying on a broomstick, for which they would earn fifty points. This was made difficult by the fact that McGonagall had enchanted the pixies with the Oppugno Jinx, which made them more deadly and aggressive. Additionally, the students couldn't use magic to defend themselves, and if a pixie touched them, they would have to start the whole trial over again. Jacob's sibling and Tonks both passed first try, and Penny passed as well, but Merula never managed to complete this trial and got frustrated, eventually quitting the trial. As a bonus reward, McGonagall also gave the winning student an insight into one of the other trials, although they could only pick one trial to get an insight for.[1]
Flitwick's trial[]
Jacob's sibling trapped in a modified Ebublio Jinx
Professor Filius Flitwick's trial involved the students simply having to answer a riddle for fifty house points. However, there were many factors which made this more difficult. Flitwick trapped the students with the Ebublio Jinx, though he modified it to be see-through, as he didn't think students would like being trapped in a dark bubble. Secondly, each student only got three guesses and, if they got the answer wrong, then they would lose ten house points, meaning if the student used up all three of their guesses but still got the answer right, they would only be able to get thirty house points. The riddle was:
A single glance will make me change, so no-one knows my true face.
And even though you want to hide, I know the corners of your mind.
What am I?
The correct answer was a Boggart, as no-one knows its true face and it can peer into one's mind to see one's worst fears. Jacob's sibling, Tonks, and Penny all passed the trial, though it is unknown if they all managed to get the maximum point amount or not.[1]
Sprout's trial[]
- "This trial will test your loyalty and teamwork, both core values of Hufflepuff House."
- — Pomona Sprout[src]
Professor Pomona Sprout's trial was different to the others, as it required the students to be paired up to complete the trial. Jacob's sibling paired up with Penny, who had been waiting for a partner. Each person in the pair had to answer a question, however they could choose to let the other person answer their question for them. If they did so, and the other student got the answer right, they would earn fifty points, however if they chose to answer it themselves instead and got it right they would only earn twenty-five points. It is unknown if Jacob's sibling and Penny chose to trust each other with their answers or not, and equally it's unknown if they got the answers right. The first question they were asked was: 'The mandrake is part of which family of plants?' The correct answer was the Solanaceae family, also known as the nightshade family. The second question was: 'What's another name asphodel goes by?' The correct answer was 'Royal Staff'.[1]
Snape's trial[]
Three of the Sleeping Draughts
Professor Severus Snape's trial initially seemed simple, as he presented the students with several different Sleeping Draughts of various concentrations and asked them to identify which one was safe to drink. If they succeded, they would get fifty points, and if they failed they would sleep until the effect of the potion they had chosen wore off. This was, however, a trick question. Although one could identify the concentration, and therefore the strength, of a Sleeping Draught based off of its consistency and the shade of purple, that wasn't what the question was asking. Instead, Snape was asking which potion was safe to drink, and the correct answer was all of them, as Sleeping Draughts are not harmful, as even at higher strengths, they only put the drinker to sleep for longer. It was for the same reason that a student couldn't answer 'none of them'. Jacob's sibling, Tonks, and Penny all guessed correctly, however Tulip Karasu failed this trial.[1]
Behind the scenes[]
- It is possible that other House Point Scrambles were held before this, as when Jacob's sibling came in first, Tonks congratulated them on setting a new school record.
Appearances[]
- Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery (First appearance)