Was there something in the water in Gryffindor tower this term? Because it was obvious to anyone with eyes that Headmaster Malachi Trent - who was also the Head of House for Gryffindor House - was acting a bit...off. Whatever the reasoning might be, he continued to be a strong role model for Gryffindor house throughout the term. As students slowly started to get possessed by a treasure hungry spirit, he showed courage by refusing to give in to the demands of the ghost. It would have been easy to just lean in to the demands, but he remained strong until the end. It was Headmaster Trent who faced off with the ghost and ultimately saved everyone from possession by vanishing the treasure away completely - which, in turn, vanished the spirit from the bodies of the possessed students! Not only did his bravery save the day, but he also lead his house to victory in the House Cup race.
So maybe the weird attitude was just...all part of the plan? Part of a new, tougher image? Unfortunately, we were unable to secure an interview with him to ask him. At this point, it's safe to say that only time will tell!
Gryffindor Prefects
Reader, I’m not sure about you but I could go for another cup of tea so stick the kettle on again and get yourself nice and cosy for this next one as another prefect gets grilled.
Lucas! Thank you so much for agreeing to answer my questions. I always like to start off by asking a few warm up questions. Do you have a favourite food? Describe yourself in three words? What came first, the dragon or the egg? Hey, there! Thanks for the interview.
Merlin, I didn't expect such hard questions. My favourite food...can I say a drink? Because I love hot chocolate on a cold winters' day. If I had to describe myself, well, a lot of people have called me quiet over the years so that's one. I guess I'm also timid and an overthinker.
Unless we can time travel across centuries, we have no way of knowing.
Now that we’ve got those questions out of the way, your final year at Hogwarts is over. You’ve crossed the finish line. How do you feel? Surreal. It's been something I've been looking forward to but also something I always thought was in the distant future. So now that it's here, it feels weird.
What do you see coming over the next few weeks for former prefect Dakest? Do you have any plans for what you’re going to do after Hogwarts? Last year, you mentioned your love of astronomy. Is that still the case or has something changed? Yeah, that is still the case. In fact, I plan on going to Wizarding University to study Astronomy some more. But for the next few weeks, I hope to get some sleep. I think I'm going to need it.
Speaking of being a prefect, how proud are you that you were a prefect at Hogwarts? Was it something you always wanted or did it come as a surprise? I think my mum was prouder than me when I got that badge. I was more shocked and scared, to tell you the truth. I didn't want to believe it was for me. But, I guess, that's something you get used to.
Being a prefect seems like a hard job to do. You have to patrol and enforce the rules of Hogwarts. What’s the best part about being a prefect? Oh, you'd better believe it. The best part would have to be the bathroom. It's very peaceful in there, you could stay in there all day.
Working so closely with Prefect Rose, the both of you formed a formidable team as prefects. What traits do you think make a good prefect? I think that's precisely it. Knowing how to work with your fellow prefect is very important. You're going to be working together a lot so you need that teamwork there. It helps that Carsyn and I are friends. Another trait would be knowing how to balance out the friendliness and enforcing the rules, because, uh, some people are crazy. Especially in Gryffindor house.
Just like every year at Hogwarts, there are always dangers and situations that give students the opportunity to rise. What advice would you give to the next generation of students facing similar situations? It's okay to see a dangerous situation and decide to run away, instead. You don't have to jump head-first into everything. It's also okay to be scared and show it, I guess.
If you were born as a muggle and not a wizard, what do you think your job would be? Those muggles have really come up with so many interesting and different jobs without magic. They have, haven't they? I like to think I would be an Astronomer, which sounds a lot more difficult without magic. Being a teacher could also work but I don't think I'd be any good at that so I don't know.
Being a Gryffindor student for seven years, how do you feel you’ve represented the house and all of its ideals? Uh, badly, I guess. I, uh, am not the kind of person people think of as a ‘typical Gryffindor’. I don’t know. I hope I’ve represented the house correctly.
And finally, what’s your favourite flavour of ice cream? My favourite? That’s hard to decide. I’ve always liked salted caramel flavours. And chocolate flavours. Really, it’s hard to decide.
With her prefects badge firmly attached to her Gryffindor robes for all to see, Carsyn Rose has certainly made an impression as a leader both in her house and in the wider school community. Now in her final year and her NEWT’s in the rear-view mirror, I was fortunate enough to have a sit down with the busy prefect for a quick tête-à-tête where we discussed everything from her love of baking to her dream of becoming a professional quidditch player. So, pull up a chair, grab a delicious sugary treat and enjoy this steaming, hot cup of tea.
Hello Carsyn! Thank you so much for agreeing to meet and answer a few of my questions. I always like to start with a few quick questions to ease people in. Which element do you most connect with? Earth, wind, fire or air? Are you left-handed, or right? Do you follow any particular quidditch team? Hello! Of course. That's a good question and I’m going to say it's a tossup between wind or air. I feel like air you can't live without and I like to believe that I'm essential. Plus, there's something about fresh air that really can't be beat. Right-handed. Professionally, weirdly no? Maybe the Harpies because female power!
I suppose wind and air are rather similar. Now that we’ve got those out of the way, how does it feel to actually be done with your last year at Hogwarts? Did it meet your expectations or were you expecting it to be any different? Both surreal and relieving. Like I have no idea where the seven years went but also there's something about just being done and having that freedom and being a grown witch to be able to do what you want on your terms. I always knew Hogwarts wasn't the safest, which made for interesting years, but there's something about not knowing you'll be stuck in another century indefinitely that really is refreshing. Suppose it's only to test our abilities, huh? As far as expectations, the only thing I felt lacked was I didn't meet one goal of playing seeker for Gryffindor, but suppose can't have everything you want.
Last year, you mentioned that you weren’t very good with time management and setting an example to younger students. Has that become any easier or are you still the same rebel that our readers read about last year? I think the older I got the easier it became to realize that I was a pretty okay example for the younger students. I mean, you're younger, so I guess I'm pretty okay and really grew into my role. I think Professor Sandhu helped
What are you going to miss the most about Hogwarts? The food. I mean don't get me wrong, I love baking and cooking, but there's something about having all you can eat dinners that you don't have to think twice about what you're going to nourish yourself with that day.
This year just like others passed, the students at Hogwarts seemed to have gotten into a little bit of trouble again. How did you feel when you saw some of the younger students get possessed? Did you automatically want to jump straight into danger? Confusing at first. I wanted to of course protect them and I didn't understand why they were acting out. But then I too got possessed and it sort of made sense but also terrifying knowing I couldn't really control what I was doing.
That must have been so scary! After being possessed, was there any part of you that would have hesitated coming back, if you could have for another year? If I wasn't graduating, then yes, I would definitely have hesitated. But yet also knew that Hogwarts was home despite the many dangers it offered. Sure, it might be terrifying at times, but there's a comforting presence to the ancient school walls that simultaneously provide safety and security.
With your last year at Hogwarts done, do you have any plans for what you want to do next? Do you still plan on turning pro as a seeker or is baking still on the cards? I'd LOVE to go pro as a seeker, but honestly my expectations are low to be recruited because seeker particularly is a super competitive position. So definitely baking for certain. I think I'd want to open my own bakery, but who knows?
Where did that come from? Was there a particular moment that stands out in your head or was it simply the delicious treats at Hogwarts that made you realise that baking was something you could see yourself doing? It started from as simple as baking cupcakes for my friend’s birthdays and then I've realized how it's such a neat hobby that I would love to be able to explore that full-time. I'm pretty savvy when it comes to potions and charms, so I hope that my skills there will transfer into making some cool culinary creations, but only time will tell.
It sounds like you've put some thought into it too. Do you know where you'd like your shop to be? Have you got your eye on a city or maybe even a particular place? Definitely! Baking has always been a favourite pastime and I find it to be super relaxing and a good way to explore my creative side. As far as location, not sure yet. I do love New York, but it's so far away from my family and friends. Suppose franchises are always a possibility too.
If there was one piece of advice or if you could recommend something to the younger students of Hogwarts, what would it be? Live every day. Enjoy the bad moments as well as the good - just because you're having a rough time now doesn't mean you're a bad person, but you're only human. The rough times make the good moments that much sweeter. Make mistakes and learn from them. Fall in love often and don't ever settle path of least resistance.