Celebrations and Holidays (1991 - 1992 [Y11 - Y12])

where: a miserable little shack on a large rock way out at sea

who: Harry, Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia, Cousin Dudley

special/strange guests: Rubeus Hagrid, a real live, rather ruffled looking owl, and a couple of dormice

decorations: a tattered blanket, stone cold fireplace, and an old sagging sofa

meal: a bag of chips each and four bananas with the Dursleys...later sausages & tea with Hagrid

special treats/desserts: a slightly squashed box containing a large, sticky chocolate cake with Happy Birthday Harry written on it in green icing

presents: To Harry: (later in Diagon Alley) a large cage, holding a beautiful snowy  owl, purchased from Eeylops Owl Emporium by Hagrid

entertainment/strange events : arrival of Hagrid on rock; Hagrid attempting to turn Dudley into a pig, but only succeeding in adding a curly pig's tail to his behind; Hagrid starting a fire by using magic; using Hagrid's pink umbrella to row the boat back to shore.

special songs/music:

correspondence:
a letter, in an envelope of heavy yellowish parchment, with no stamp, on which there was a wax seal bearing a coat of arms: a lion, an eagle, a badger, and a snake surrounding a letter H  for Hogwarts addressed in emerald green ink to:
Mr. H. Potter; The Floor, Hut-on-the-Rock, The Sea. It was a letter of acceptance to Hogwarts from Professor Minerva McGonagall, with an enclosed list of all necessary books & equipment
A note sent by the ruffled-looking owl to Dumbldore from Hagrid, which read:
  Dear Professor Dumbledore,
  Given Harry his letter.
  Taking him to buy his things tomorrow.
  Weather's horrible. Hope you're well.
  Hagrid

occasion: Harry's First Year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry start-of-term-banquet PS7

where: Great Hall

who: all the Hogwarts students & staff

special/strange guests: Professor Quirrell

decorations: thousands of candles, floating in midair; tables laid with glittering golden plates & goblets;  velvety black ceiling dotted with stars, bewitched to look like the sky outside

meal: roast beef, chicken, pork chops and lamb chops, sausages, bacon, steak, boiled potatoes, roast potatoes, fries, Yorkshire pudding, peas, carrots, gravy, ketchup, peppermint humbugs.

special treats/desserts: blocks of ice cream in every flavor you could think of, apple pies, treacle tarts, chocolate eclairs, jam doughnuts, trifle, strawberries, Jell-O, rice pudding

presents:

entertainment/strange events: Sorting Hat Poem & Sorting Ceremony; a few words from Albus Dumbledore, "Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!"

special songs/music: School Song

correspondence: (sort of) Dumbledore gave his wand a little flick, as if he was trying to get a fly off the end, and a long golden ribbon flew out of it, which rose high above the tables and twisted itself, snakelike, into words.

occasion: Halloween PS10

where: Great Hall; to be continued later in the common rooms

who: Hogwarts students & staff

special/strange guests: a Troll in the dungeons, interrupting the feast

decorations: a thousand live bats fluttering from the walls and ceiling while a thousand more swooped over the tables in low black clouds, making the candles in the pumpkins stutter.

meal: feast appeared suddenly on the golden plates, a baked potato was the only food described before the announcement of the Troll and the vacating of the students from the Great Hall

special treats/desserts:

presents:

entertainment/strange events: Harry & Ron corner & knock out a twelve foot tall Troll in girls' bathroom, while rescuing Hermione; Snape discovered lurking on the third floor; Moaning Myrtle in the girls' third floor bathroom

special songs/music:

correspondence:

occasion: Christmas December 25 PS12

where: Great Hall

who: Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall, Flitwick, Hagrid, Snape, Harry, Ron, Percy, Fred & George, probably a few others

special/strange guests:

decorations: Festoons of holly and mistletoe hung all around the walls, a fire roared in the fireplace, no less than twelve towering Christmas trees stood around the room, some sparkling with tiny icicles, some glittering with hundreds of candles. Professor Flitwick, who had golden bubbles blossoming out of his wand, was trailing them over the branches of the new tree.

meal: a hundred fat, roast turkeys; mountains of roast beef and boiled potatoes; platters of chipolatas; tureens of buttered peas, silver boats of thick, rich, gravy and cranberry sauce.

special treats/desserts: Flaming Christmas pudding followed the turkey. Percy almost broke his tooth on a silver sickle embedded in his slice, stacks of wizard crackers, that went off with a blast like a cannon and engulfed them all in a cloud of blue smoke, while from the inside exploded a rear admiral's hat and several live, white mice; flowered bonnets; jokes; a pack of non-explodable, luminous balloons, a Grow-Your-Own-Warts kit, a wizard chess set

presents: To Harry from Hagrid: a roughly cut wooden flute that sounded a bit like an owl. Hagrid had whittled it, himself.
To Harry from Dursleys: a note that said, "We received your message and enclose your Christmas present. From Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia. Taped to the note was a fifty-pence piece, which Harry gave to Ron because Ron was fascinated by it.
To Harry from Mrs. Weasley: a thick, hand-knitted sweater in emerald green and a large box of homemade fudge.
To Harry from Hermione: a large box of Chocolate Frogs.
To Harry from Professor Dumbledore: an invisibility cape, with a note enclosed that said, "Your father left this in my possession before he died. It is time it was returned to you. Use it well. A Very Merry Christmas to you."
To Ron from Hermione: a box of Every Flavor Beans.
To Ron from Mrs. Weasley: a maroon hand-knitted sweater, always in maroon.
To Fred and George from Mrs. Weasley: a sweater with an F on it for Fred, and a sweater with a G on it for George. "You haven't got a letter on yours," George observed. "I suppose she thinks you don't forget your name. But we're not stupid --we know we're called Gred and Forge."
To Percy from Mrs. Weasley: a sweater with the letter P for Percy on it. "P for prefect! Get it on, Percy, come on, we're all wearing ours, even Harry got one."
To Mrs. Norris: several live, white mice, escaped from the wizard crackers

entertainment/strange events: Dumbledore swapped his pointed hat for a flowered bonnet, Hagrid got redder & redder from the wine, and kissed Professor McGonagall on the cheek; McGonagall giggled and blushed, her top hat lopsided. Harry discovers the Mirror of Erised

special songs/music:

correspondence: the inscription carved on the top of the mirror, "Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi"

occasion: end-of-the-year-feast PS17

where: Great Hall

who: Hogwarts students & staff

special/strange guests:

decorations: before Dumbledore's speech: decked out in Slytherin colors of green and silver to celebrate Slytherin's winning the house cup for the seventh year in a row. A huge banner showing the Slytherin serpent covered the wall behind the High Table
after Dumbledore's speech: He clapped his hands. In an instant, the green hangings became scarlet and the silver became gold; the huge Slytherin serpent vanished and a towering Gryffindor lion took its place.

meal:

special treats/desserts:

presents: To Harry, tokens from his friends: a table piled high with what looked like half the candy shop.
To Harry from Hagrid: a handsome leather-covered book, full of wizard photographs. Smiling and waving at him from every page were his mother and father.
To Harry from Fred & George: a toilet seat, confiscated by Madam Pomfrey, however, because she felt it might not be very hygienic.

entertainment/strange events: Dumbledore's speech, "Ahem, I have a few last-minute points to dish out. Let me see. Yes, first to Mr. Ronald Weasley, for the best-played game of chess Hogwarts has seen in years, I award Gryffindor house fifty points; to Miss Hermione Granger, for the use of cool logic in the face of fire I award Gryffindor house fifty points; to Mr. Harry Potter, for pure nerve and outstanding courage, I award Gryffindor house sixty points. There are all kinds of courage," said Dumbledore, smiling. "It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends. I therefore award ten points to Mr. Neville Longbottom."

Points Awards before Dumbledore's speech:

correspondence: notes were handed out to all students, warning them not to use magic over the holidays ("I always hope they'll forget to give us these," said Fred Weasley, sadly)