Riddle award, Quidditch Cup, Hedwig and Owls / Newts

[Simon]

No: HPFGUIDX 8754

Meredith wrote: "Also, the Tom Riddle award - Doesn't Ron say he was
polishing a big metal shield for hours?  There's a small brass shield in the
middle of a wooden one but it looks like it would take 10 minutes to clean
that one."

It is said that he belched some slugs over it and that this made it extra
sticky and messy. This means that Ron takes ages to clean it as Filch makes
him do it over and over again until it is especially clean. At some point
later, when the trio are investigating Riddle, Ron remarks that he is glad
that it is quite small 'or else he would still be polishing it' (or words to
that effect!
Is this the shield that has Riddle spelt 'Riddell'?


Meredith asked: "I went through some of the other pictures there, most
specifically the trophy case.  Does it bother anyone else that the Quidditch
Cup isn't a cup?"

No. Just because it is called a cup does not mean that it is one. It is
fairly likely that it is not an original (a school such as Hogwarts probably
needs a new one ever 100 years or so) and in replacing it has changed form -
from a cup to a trophy.


Amy wrote: "I wanna hold Hedwig!"

I could not agree more. I think my computer backdrop may be in need of a
change (currently the three eyed aliens from Toy Story).



Charmain wrote: "OWLs and NEWTS:  Someone told me that they're the
equivalents of the O and A levels, which are kind of like the AP or IB
exams. How many of these can one get (because they did give the number that
Crouch Jr. and Percy, I believe, got)?"

I don't know what AP or IB exams are so cannot answer that question but can
do the others. O-levels don't exist anymore - they have been replaced by
GCSE's (General Certificate of Secondary Education).

Most people take nine or ten of these in the school year in which they turn
16 (I have 10 of them - no not twelve as I believe at least one person has
said I have). A few people take twelve (and I believe there are cases of
even more than this - though they are very rare) and some people take some
subjects early.

Not everyone takes A-levels (I have no idea of the percentage that do). Most
people take three, but it is fairly common for people to take four -
especially those applying for the top universities (I have four A-levels).
There are also As-level's (Advanced supplementary (?)) which are equivalent
to half an A-level (and strangely I also have one As-level).

To confuse things slightly - the A-level system has changed recently and I
am not totally sure what know happens (it does not make any difference to
me - so I have made no effort to find out).



Amy wrote: "And also thanks for reminding us, as Ebony also did very
eloquently by example a while back, that not all evangelicals think alike
(they're not all fundamentalists either)"

This weekend someone pointed out something that I found quite amusing. I
would doubt that you could find anyone to describe themselves as
Fundamentalists, but the word is used very frequently and normally in a
derogatory way.


Simon (who was given plenty of food for thought this weekend - had to cook
the food for the stomach himself (and for 80 others))