The spirit of Hogwarts is alive and well at Marlborough College, as our pupils demonstrated on Thursday 2nd February, when they gathered in the Library to help us celebrate Harry Potter Night.
An annual evening of wizarding fun, Harry Potter Night offers pupils from all Houses and years a chance to meet up with friends, make new ones, and celebrate the legacy of the Harry Potter books.
On arrival, pupils were sorted into a Hogwarts’ house for the evening, and then took part in four activities designed to test their magical skills and Harry Potter knowledge, all in order to win the Tri-Wizard cup and walk away with a bucketful of sweets to share.
This year’s event was particularly significant as last year’s losers, Hufflepuff, represented by a determined team of Barton Hill boys, returned to defend their honour.
First the team took part in an ice-breaker activity of constructing a Hogwarts tower from marshmallows and spaghetti, before moving onto a scavenger hunt for magical items hidden around the library. Brief controversy ensued as Slytherin, in characteristic style, were revealed to have sneakily observed some of the items being hidden earlier in the day. But a judge’s ruling awarded extra points to the other teams, and we moved on to the next task of exams: otherwise known as a Harry Potter trivia quiz.
Finally, our last activity was the Harry Potter Play-Doh challenge; Head Librarian Mr Burton span a wheel of fortune with Harry Potter creatures and items on it. Teams had one minute to build whatever the wheel landed on using Play-Doh.
It was a night of drama and there were many close calls, but this year’s ultimate victors were the cunning Slytherin, taking the Tri-Wizard cup for the second-year in a row. In second-place were the valiant Hufflepuff, followed by Ravenclaw in third, and Gryffindor in fourth.
The Library Team would like to thank everyone who came along and made it such an enjoyable evening. We are already looking forward to next year’s Harry Potter Night, and can’t wait to see what magical adventures await.
We leave you with a note of thanks from the Hufflepuff team captain, which captures some of the fun – and controversies – of the evening:
“I couldn’t have shared our last Hooray with a better team. With a strong start to the evening, with a win in arguably the hardest event that took the most brains, Hufflepuff was off to a flying start. Then, being stunted by a cheating team from a house that is not even worthy to come out of one’s mouth, we fought valiantly, taking 3rd place. On to the quiz, where newcomer Henry showed his talent with an amazing display. Unfortunately it didn’t go our way. With one mistake the dream was over. On to the final and most heart-breaking challenge. The artistic side that a conventional Hufflepuff member does not possess, was our downfall. Some questionable decisions, that have been logged and reported to the commission, hindered our performance. Taking second place overall is a tough pill to swallow especially when losing to such lowlifes as Slytherin. But Hufflepuff keeps marching on. I assure you we will be back to claim what is rightfully ours.
“We as a team would like to thank the Library Team for hosting what has come to be a personal highlight of the year, and one that will go on for many more.”
