There have been a lot of questions lately regarding “Hidden Stories” on the archive. So, let me try to explain what these are.

Prior to the site upgrade, our only option for non-compliant stories was to delete them. Unfortunately, many users failed to keep copies of their stories (always keep a copy!) and lost everything that they had worked so hard for. Staff members are authors too and we understand the heartache and frustration when something you’ve worked so hard for is suddenly gone without a trace.

After much debate and technical jargon that I personally could never explain, the “Hidden Story” option was created. A Hidden Story is one that a staff member has hidden because it violates the ToS. Rather than immediately delete the story the staff member is giving you a chance to fix the problems with your story rather than have it just go “poof!” and disappear.

What this means to you as an author- If you suddenly find your story is hidden, this means your story is found to be against site rules. Remember to re-read them…they have changed and you need to know why you are now breaking the rules. We have no grandfather clause here. It doesn’t matter if something was acceptable two years ago when you posted it, if it breaks the ToS now you are subject to deletion.

What you need to do – Read the ToS! See if you can determine where you’ve violated the current site rules. Check the validator notes attached to your first chapter as wall as your e-mail, odds are, a staff member has left you some indication of why the story was hidden. If you can't seem to find anything or don't understand, feel free to contact us - though, it's usually best to use the trouble tickets as your issue will be handled in a private area and the staff can be more candid about the issue. We are more than willing to work with you one on one to help you fix the problem.

What you need to know – Violating stories are found in various ways. Staff patrol the archive on a regular basis and other users report offensive stories. If you have a story in violation and it hasn’t been found yet don’t consider yourself lucky. It’s truly only a matter of time before it’s found. Take the time you have to edit it now or contact a staffer and tell them the situation. It’s always better to let a staffer know you are trying to comply rather than to come to us after the fact and say, “oh, I didn’t know that!”

In addition, hidden stories will not remain that way forever. Eventually, if you fail to edit them, they will be removed from the archive. Usually we give you a 7 day warning if you are an active user. If it’s going to take longer to re-write your work…contact us! We can extend the time frame at any time. The seven days is more of a time for you to contact us and let us know you are working on the issue. Non-active users and defunct accounts are a different story that I won’t bore anyone with here (because if you aren’t active at the archive you most likely aren’t bothering to read this).

Hope that helps explain a bit and, as always, feel free to ask a staffer if you need further explanation or have a specific issue you need to discuss privately.

Hermione has Draco's Twins. Everyone shocked.
The wizarding world was rocked today when mild-mannered, straight-O student, Hermione Granger, gave birth to the twins of none other than Draco Malfoy. Both children - one boy, one girl - were so gorgeous that the eyes of a mere human could not stand to look upon them for more than a few moments, but this reporter glimpsed adorable blonde curls. It is expected that both will be up, walking, talking and working toward bringing their estranged parents together in a Parent Trap-like plotline in no time.

Voldemort Defeated With Daft Use of Broccoli. More News at 9.
That's right, folks. Lord Voldemort - the big cheese - was defeated today when Neville Longbottom threw a head of organic broccoli at him. Much to the clumsy boy's surprise, not seven but 93 horcruxes fell from his robes and broke into tiny pieces. Three hours later, in St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies, the Dark Lord himself lost his battle with evil. His last words have not been substantiated but rumors report they were a cry for his mommy.

Ministry Aurors searching is West London flat found a collection of Ty Beanie Babies.

Elemental Witchcraft: All It's Cracked Up To Be?
Two elemental witches - Ginny Weasley and Mary Sue-Ellen Potter - would like the wizarding world to reconsider their common illusions about this difficult aspect of magic. After being caught in a freak lightening storm, both girls emerged to find that they no longer had control over their powers and, much like Midas before them, began to reconsider their affection for the craft.

Ministry Obliviators are currently working to erase the memories of several Muggle's who were shopping at Skimpy Clothes 'R' Us when the girls entered and flooded the building while fighting over a lepord print micro-mini skirt.

Truth or Dare Leads to Fatherless Babies. Parent's Outraged.
When Pansy Parkinson, Ginny Weasley, Hermione Granger, Blaise Zabini, Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy got up this morning, this reporter is certain that none of them were aware they would spend the better portion of their day locked in a broom cupboard together. What the teens were doing that led them down this disused corridor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, no one is quite certain, but at 8 o'clock this evening the Hogwarts Caretaker, Argus Filch, found the students while looking for his pet cat.

The students were escourted to Minerva McGonagall's office where Poppy Pomfrey, Hogwarts Nurse, dealt with the barrage of questions from angry parents. When asked what Hogwarts would do to accomodate their new arrivals, Pomfrey replied that they would simply set them up with Nanny's in the hospitol wing, taking any burden off these hard working students.

Coming Soon:
James Potter and Sirius Black Scoff at Rules Once Again.
Ginny Dies In Tragic Tube Top Accident. Coverage on the 8's.
Harry Potter Pines over Pensylvannia Pop-Princess.
Pizza: The Newest Menu Item at Hogwarts?
Tube Socks: Friend or Foe?

As you know, we frequently make updates to the site rules to simply clarify an existing rule but, on occasion, we must change a rule entirely to limit the posting of material that has become problematic and, as always, I am here today to notify you of one of those changes. Fun, huh? Sorry.

Rule 5 under our Submission Guidelines header deals with sensitive material. The themes held underneath this rule include sexual assault, child abuse, spousal abuse, suicide, self-mutilation, bestiality, relationships between adults and minors or students and teachers, as well as forced and arranged marriages. This list is not, however, inclusive, it simply presents the issues or themes we see most commonly. Additional rules may be imposed for other story themes.

The Site Rules reads as follows:

5. Your submission contained disallowed or inappropriately handled sensitive themes.

Listed below are some of the most common plot themes that present an issue for validators but this list is not inclusive. If you plan to include a sensitive plotline in your story, please contact the staff for clarification geared toward the context of your specific story. What constitutes a sensitive theme is fully at the discretion of the HPFF Staff.

Sexual Assault, Child Abuse & Spousal Abuse
We do not allow descriptions or depictions of sexual or intimate violence. Allusions (i.e., to refer to in a historical context to sexual assault (including attempted assault) are permitted so long as the references are not graphic or glorifying in nature. The same rule stands for abuse. Child and spousal abuse are defined as physical abuse or excessive emotional abuse. Stories containing such themes must be rated M and carry the warnings for Strong Violence and Sensitive Topic/Issue/Theme.

Suicide & Self-Mutilation
Depictions of suicide and self-mutilation are very closely monitored and final decisions on suitability will be made by HPFF staff. Depictions may not be considered graphic or glorifying of the act and any story containing any descriptions or conversation of said acts must be rated M with attached warnings of Strong Violence and Sensitive Topic/Issue/Theme.

Bestiality, Incest, Adult/Minor & Student/Teacher
Bestiality and relationships between adults and minors or students and teachers are not permitted. For more information on our relationship rules, please view the breakdown, which can be found here. Incest is, in pureblood families, a somewhat trickier area and, for your easy, a near complete list of the many ships of Potterverse can be found here at our forums and denotes what ships are disallowed and what ships are permitted.

Forced/Arranged Marriages
A marriage arranged or forced between characters that have not yet “come of age” (i.e., are not yet 17) will not be permitted on this archive. With that said – the difference between a forced marriage and an arranged marriage can be a fine line and, thus, will be up to the discretion of the staff member validating your story. If you wish to inquire about a particular context or situation, please feel free to contact any member of our staff for assistance.

Major Changes:
The rules above are not drastically different from those that the Site Rules previously held but, in addition to clarifications made to existing rules, the following rules have been added or changed.

Sexual Assault:
Previously, references to rape or sexual assault were permitted in stories rated M and 15+. As of this date, July 19, 2006, any story present on the archive or submitted to the queue containing an allusion to sexual assault or intimate violence will require a rating of Mature Teen. Stories found on the archive that have already been posted will have their status changed to “hidden” and will not be made visible again until the scene has been removed or the rating changed to M.

Child & Spousal Abuse
While the staff have always taken careful discretion over stories involving child and/or spousal abuse, this is the first time the HPFF staff have specifically defined the issue in the Site Rules/TOS. Stories may not contain child or spousal abuse that is currently taking place but may only make allusions to the behavior (i.e., reference in a historical context.) Stories containing child or spousal abuse must be rated M and include the warnings Strong Violence and Sensitive Topic/Issue/Theme. Any story present on the archive or submitted to the queue containing these themes will have it’s status changed to “hidden.” At that point, the author will be responsible for removing or toning down the scene of the violence (where necessary) and increasing the warning to Mature Teen.

Suicide and Self-Mutilation
While this subject has always been closely monitored, the staff has elected to insist that any description, depiction or discussion of suicide and self-mutilation mandate a rating of Mature Teen. (Previously, certain descriptions, depictions and discussions were allowed in stories rated 15+) Any story present on the archive or submitted to the queue containing suicide and self-mutilation must be rated Mature Teen and include appropriate warnings. If stories that do not meet these requirements are found on the archive, the story will have it’s status changed to “hidden” and the author will then be asked to make the necessary changes, be they removing or toning down the scenes or simply adjusting the rating.

Forced/Arranged Marriages
Forced and arranged marriages are an issue the HPFF staff has always watched closely but it is not until recently that our rules regarding forced and arranged marriages have been defined.. Any story found on the archive that includes individuals under the age of 17 made to marry will be hidden and the author will be responsible for making changes to ensure that the story is suitable for the site. Additionally, any story dealing with a marriage that is forced rather than arranged may be rejected or hidden by staff.

What To Do?
If you have a story containing any of these themes or that you worry may present a conflict with any of the rules, please feel free to contact a staff member. We are always happy to answer your questions and, in cases like this, are happy to review your stories and give advice on what changes need to be made to make your story acceptable.

Thanks for working with us everybody!

Back on February 9th, 2005 the first tutorial appeared under the penname “Staff.” In the coming weeks, we penned short chapters designed to help authors understand where our benchmark is for ‘how graphic’ sex, love, non-consensual sex and self-mutilation can be on our archive.

Over time, as those rules have changed, we have edited these tutorials to reflect the current rules as they stand at the time and I’m happy to announce that, after some hard work from several of our staff members, we’ve managed to compose several more tutorials for your ease.

Mature Child/Spousal Abuse Reference Tutorial [Mature Teen]
A one-shot, this tutorial is designed to show you what the TOS means by “We do not allow descriptions or depictions of [child or spousal abuse]. Allusions (i.e., to refer to in a historical context) to [child and spousal abuse] are permitted so long as the references are not graphic or glorifying in nature. Child and Spousal abuse are defined as physical abuse or excessive emotional abuse. Stories containing such themes must be rated M an carry the warnings Strong Violence and Sensitive Topic/Issue/Theme.”

Student Crush on a Teacher Tutorial [12+]
One of the lesser known, fuzzy guidelines of HPFF deals with innocent crushes students may have their teachers. While actual relationships are strictly prohibited, it is common, in life and in fanfiction, for a student to have a crush on a teacher. This tutorial should provide an example of how far it is appropriate for one of these crushes to proceed.

Self-Mutilation Reference Tutorial [Mature Teen]
Another one-shot, this tutorial deals with self-mutilation as it is permitted on our site. The Site Rules refers to self-mutilation in this context: “Depictions of…self-mutilation are very closely monitored and final decisions on suitability will be made by HPFF staff. Depictions may not be considered graphic or at all glorifying of the act and any story containing any descriptions or conversation of said acts must be rated M with attached warnings of Strong Violence and Sensitive Topic/Issue/Theme.”

Including Diary Entries and Letters [12+]
Under the Submission Guidelines, rule number 6, stories that take place exclusively in the form of diary entries or letter exchanges are, as a blanket rule, not considered a valid story format that will be accepted here at HPFF. With that having been said, we do understand the positive elements that diaries and letters have to present to a story and thus the following 1/3 Diary/Letter to 2/3 Narrative ratio was devised. Only of a 600 word chapter, only 200 words may be comprised of diary entries or letters.

Mature Rape Reference Tutorial [Mature Teen]
One-Shot. This tutorial deals with sexual assaults and attempted sexual assaults as they may be used and referenced on the site. “We do not allow descriptions or depictions of sexual or intimate violence. Allusions (i.e., to refer to in a historical context) are permitted so long as the references are not graphic or glorifying in nature.” Stories involving themes of Sexual Assault must be rated M and carry the warnings Strong Violence, Scenes of a Strong Sexual Nature and Sensitive Topic/Issue/Theme.

“Love” Scene Tutorials
These tutorials deal with love/sex scenes under all three ratings. While reviewing these, please take note of the acts included as well as the terminology used. It is also appropriate to note that these scenes do not appear to be gratuitious in any manner and are shown to have some relevance to the story rather than being “thrown in” to “increase the smut value.”

If you have questions regarding what is appropriate in a story given your specific rating, I suggest you contact a staff member via e-mail or trouble tickets. Please do not use the forums to ask questions about these ratings as the forums are a public area rated 12+ and odds are that both your question and the answer will violate our 12+ rule.

12+ Love Scene [12+]
This tutorial displays how graphic it is appropriate to be and what acts may be discussed inside the bounds of a 12+ rating.

15+ Sex Scene Tutorial [15+]
This tutorial shares a scene with the Mature Sex Scene Tutorial (linked below) and is designed to display the nuances between the two ratings. In this tutorial, the scene depicted is the most graphic that a scene rated 15+ may become and includes the warning Scenes of a Strong Sexual Nature.

Mature Sex Scene Tutorial [Mature Teen]
This tutorial shares a scene with the 15+ Sex Scene Tutorial (linked above) and is designed to display the nuances between the two ratings. In this tutorial, the scene depicted is the most graphic that a scene rated Mature may become and includes the warning Scenes of a Strong Sexual Nature.

Profanity Tutorials:
These tutorials are not stories in any regard but, rather, lists of the terms and contexts they may be used in under various ratings and warnings. Please note that even though it says one may use, for example, the term “sod off” in a 12+ story with a Mild Language warning, excessive use may warrant an increased warning or rating of your story and excessive use of the terms in the Mature Teen tutorial, may result in your story being considered “NC-17” and not accepted to (or removed from) the site.

Again, while we encourage you to inquire if you have questions, please do not do so through the forums as, again it presents a violation of our 12+ rule. Instead, use the trouble tickets or contact the staff directly through e-mail.

12+ Profanity Tutorial [12+]
15+ Profanity Tutorial [15+]
Mature Profanity Tutorial [Mature Teen]

As usual, we really would like to encourage you to review these tutorials, even if you have posted stories, but are not currently writing, or feel you have an adequate understanding of the TOS. It only takes moments to read them and it can save you lots of headaches later!

If you would like to request a staff tutorial, please feel free to contact us via the forums, the trouble tickets or to contact one of us individually via e-mail. Please Note: These tutorials are written to encourage better understanding of the Site Rules and Terms of Service, they are not designed to be examples of fine writing. Please do not request tutorials on “great OC’s,” etc…. For questions like that, please check our Writer’s Resources section on the HPFF Forums.

Ah, my vacation is over. I won’t bore you with all the details of my cross-country trip (I promise!) but I will share with you some of my email secrets. You see, I’m not computer savvy (hush, Jay!) and I failed to turn on auto responder. Actually, didn’t know it existed but now I do. Let’s just say that my cup runneth over when I returned so I shall attempt to answer about 78 of them in one fell swoop here.

There were the plagiarism issues, the story formatting issues, the “I was rejected!” emails and, oddly enough, several people complaining about the recent changes to the ToS. My mind went all aflutter. The ToS changed??? Geez, I thought, when I take a vacation big big things happen.

After my near meltdown at worrying my own stories were now in violation of some new rule, I learned an interesting little tidbit…the ToS had not been changed. Yes, rules are updated almost weekly to help better explain to users how the site works, what constitutes violations, etc. But the ToS? Hasn’t been updated since January 2006. It took awhile to sort out the emails and find out what was going on and as it turns out, all the rejections were re-submits. Bear with me so I can explain.

Once upon a time in a land far far away, there existed an HPFF with very few rules (not to mention very few fics!). As HPFF has grown and expanded and become THE place to be for HP fanfiction, rules have been expanded or added to or explained in more detail. Believe it or not, it takes a pretty big event to cause us to change the ToS. We don’t see a diary fic in the archive one day and suddenly say, “oh, let’s get rid of those.” ToS changes (no matter how small) go through a lengthy debate process with all the staff and then Jay will step in and make the final decision as to what’s going to happen.

Although you may not believe me but we do not like to change the ToS. It means hours of learning and explaining and answering questions not to mention updating all the FaQ’s and site rules and rejection reasons. We really don’t like to do it. But, as it is, to keep HPFF happy and safe, it’s sometimes necessary.

Now, the big question (and an answer!), why do we reject things that were previously ToS compliant? Good question and here’s the answer: fairness and equality. HPFF strives to be fair and treat all members equally. That means no special status because you’ve been here for eons. It’s not fair to tell a new member “You can’t have a diary fic” and they return with “well, so-and-so has one posted so I should be able to do it too.” Leaving fics on the archive that are no longer ToS compliant isn’t fair to the rest of the members of the site. I know its upsetting to pull your own fic or to have it rejected when you try to edit it. But, everyone has to remember that this site exists for everyone’s enjoyment. You don’t want to be singled out for review spamming and get in trouble if someone else is doing it just like someone else doesn’t want to have their fic rejected when another just like it was accepted to the archive at some point ages ago. It may not seem fair at first but once you think about it….it’s the only way for us to possibly be fair to all members of the site.

So that’s my spiel of my email box. And next time, I swear, I’ll put on that auto responder thingie dealy whopper!

Once in a while I have to post something unfunny and since i'm currently dying of tree exposure (can anyone say 'allergen'?) now seemed like a fine time.

I promise to be extra funny next time :)

Recently, I've seen a lot of questions to the trouble tickets and on the forums about rejection notes and while I hope they are relatively self-explanatory in content, I wanted to take a second to explain how they work.

When a chapter is submitted to the queue, it appears for us, like this. (You can click the image to expand to full size. It is an actual screenshot of the queue, the blacked out areas cover data for the story in question and i covered its banner with one of my own. Anonymity and all that jazz.)

As you can see, we are able to see the data for the story as a whole, it's rating, warnings, summary, etc... We can also see the title, author name and then the info for the chapter - including it's title and summary.

Below that is our validation box. The blank box is the area where we enter the validator notes. Within that box, and in the area above it, old rejection notes are still visible. This allows us to determine what past issues have been wtih the chapter, how long the author has been trying to submit it and how many times it has been rejected for the same issue, if any. Because of the nature of this feature, before any given validator note, the validator will almost always include a date. Depending on who it is, the date format may be somewhat different, but it will be there, nevertheless.

While this is a great function for us, it seems to be confusing to some of our members. Remember, when you're dealing with validator notes, unless specifically instructed, the only note you need to pay attention to is that with the most recent date.

So, if this is what you see when you view your story on July 11th:

May 15th 2006 - 16. Your story contained a formatting issue. [Full Details ---- spacing

June 21 - Needs a strong violence warning. Thanks for correcting the formatting!

July 3 - Thanks for changing your rating and warning, but your summary, which includes a very violent act, must be PG in content.

July 10th 2006 - First resubmission without changes.

...you want to look only at the note from the 10th which states that you haven't corrected the problem previously presented to you. If you don't already remember what that was, go back and look at the note from the 3rd, suggesting that you need to tone down the violent content in your story summary. Make the necessary edits and you will be welcome to resubmit - because the issues presented on May 15th and June 21st are taken care of.

Why, if they are handled, do we need to keep them there? The history of an author comes into play when considering them for trusted author status. Trusted Authors are people who, when presented with an issue that violates the TOS, deal with the issue quickly. Authors who have had a lot of rejections for violent content may not be promoted to Trusted Authors until we're sure that they have a firm grasp of the TOS.

With that said, they won't count against you forever. Say, for example, you joined the site in January of 2005 right after watching the worlds most violent and gory movie and decided to do a Harry Potter crossover with it. Problem? Well, no, not necessarily, except that your version involves all of the gore that was present in the unrated version of the DVD. and every single chapter was rejected. Now you were young and you were stubborn, so you went a few rounds with the validators before finally getting over it, accepting defeat, and toning down the violence in the chapters. It's mid-2006 now and you are a bigger person. It's been almost a year since you wrote anything but fluffy James/Lily and you have 35 posted chapters on the site of nothing but smush. When it comes to an Archive-Admin to check your account and determine whether you're ready for trusted status, we will take into account how long ago it was that you posted those chapters and how much your writing has grown or changed since then.

...your friends giggle and blush when they read the scene between Draco and Hermione

…you are just learning how to use HTML

…you used the latest Seether song as inspiration

…your enter key is stuck

…you don’t know where to find the TOS

…you’ve used the word “throbbing”

…your brother took a copy of it into the bathroom before he went to bed

…you really hate periods

…you can’t spell the Hogwarts houses

…your biggest fan uses Sunny Day Real Estate lyrics as their life plan

…you like caps lock

…you got your OC names from General Hospital

…the phrase “curves in all the right places” is used

…the primary setting is the astronomy tower

…eyeliner is mentioned more than once

…you wouldn’t show it to your mom

…your characters yell a lot

…your plotline came from a reality tv show

…your lead character is wearing a thong

…you feel misunderstood

…there’s a pole

...you think Johnny Depp looks just like Sirius

It’s finally time to announce the winner of our “Where in the World is Sybil Trelawney” winner. Our winner is none other than… MagicalPerfect.

You may be wondering why it’s taken nearly a week to announce the winner? Well that’s actually a pretty simple answer. Our generous winner requested that her prize be donated back to her house to be used to raise money for RIF. I was really taken back by this request, but lets face it, the prize was pretty amazing. The prize will be hosted on a HPFF sponsored auction and more information will be available soon on how you can bid for this item.

The Ravenclaws definitely deserve a few props for their cleverness. They managed to turn the competition into a fundraising event earning $60 as a house by getting sponsorships for the riddles they solved. Special thanks should be made to Ravengrffendor for motivating our little Ravens.

Thank you to everybody to everybody who participated in this competition; it was one of our most challenging. I hope you all enjoyed your sleepless nights and coffee overdoes. The Henchmen and riddles will remain on the site through the end of August.

Here are the answers to the competition: (Highlight the text below)


Story: Tea With TrelawneyRavenGryffendor


= War/Aries/Mars
The sounds of a bugle sets it loose.
Rining of a bell signals its end.
Tons have been slain in its name.

Warrington (hint themes: Mythology)“Ah drats you've caught me you filty Muggle. You'll never find that blithering Seer. I hear she's locked in the vanishing cabinet. Better hope you she doesn’t wind up at Burke’s and Borgin’s. The only information I know are the following five hints. You’ll never solve them.

(R ) Remus and Romulus—Founder of Rome

Story:The Time it All Began by: Remus
From the words of a poet, Larentia tis her name, who saved the young children destined to be kings. The sons of Mars were destined for greatness, but tragedy struck. Slay by the hand of a brother named. For jumping a wall history’s founder was unknown.

(O) OrionStory: The Pensive by: Orion
A titan in his time, a hunter of his kind. A master of the beast, a journey he did seek.A priestess he sought to find, Merope was her kind. Forever in this quest, among the stars he’s laid at rest.

(C ) CentaurStory: Soul of the Enemy by: Willow Spirit
Two parts of one, with just a single exception. Tutoring the heroes with a loyal subjection.War in their history where Thessaly was lost. A bottle of wine drove them from the home that they sought.Knowning the future was on their enemy’s side.But still their story lives on in the sky.

(D) Dido—Fallen Queen of CarthageWhite Flag' by Dido.
The Love that Taught HateAuthor: WinterRose
The most tragic of stories, is a famed one to tell.Of how love doesn’t conquers the windward hero’s sail.Phoenician by birth, a distant land was her home. The plot of two goddess almost cursed the future of Rome. Betrayed by her lover, fire burned her skin. Later found in Hades, where her story does end. Inspired by lyrics, her name still lives on. You can find her in the archive embraced in a song.

(A) AndromedaStory: Last Chance by: Andromeda
Ruler of men, is literally her meaning.Ethiopian by birth is her history concealing.Sacrificed to a beast, but spared from her fate.Embraced in literature her story is saved. Galaxies apart, her legacy lives on. Of daughters who oppose her parents’ prophesized wrongs.


DRACO (theme shameful purebloods)

(L) Luna Lovegood: Always the Same by My Karma Ran Over My Dogma
A loud novel, go silent into that still night. Along, duo love, keeps you company. All is not what is read, and all is not how it’s perceived. Four by three, itgoes unknown. Buried in the heart of an upsidedown stone.

(I) Isla (Black) HitchensStory: Only Hope by: Isla
It’s a family tradition, to disappoint.An island among stars, I was disjointed.Only left as a black hole, because of a hitch.I bob in the ocean alone as a witch.

(H) Herbert BurkeThe Way of Burke Love by: VivoSiriAngeline
Hisplus had a daughter, who married this man.Avoiding a problem by hushing it up. Sorry I couldn’tbe of more help. Perhaps you’ll find a solution to your problems in Knockturn Alley.

(C ) Cedric Diggory: Neville Longbottom and the Wandering Door by CedricDiggory
3, 15, 4, 5, 3, 18, 25, 4, 9, 7, 18, 9, 7(this is the anagram: CODE CRY DIG RIG or Cedric Diggory)

(F) Frank Longbottom: Spared by: Bibbs15+
Meaning to be free, with a little staying power.Perhaps this is a reference to a hobbit, sinceit may also mean a long valley. Take this as a token of advice. You’ll find no Frodo in this fictional land. Take a long look in the mirrorand see if you can find what the Death Eaters left in ruins.


FILCH-- (theme Banned Objects)

(A) Auto Answer Quills: Harry Potter and the Paradox of Prophecy by: Magic Quill
You're invited to see a world all your own. An alternate universe where even a quill writes on its own. Yes, even in this world, the quill is mightier than the wand in the grand scheme of things. Do not be alarmed by anything you see or read. Expect the unexpected but remember every event is foretold by prophecy.

(S) Skiving Snackbox: A Midnight Snack by Silawen
For a few sickles or a galleon, You might find a way, to gain extra time in your long grueling day. Remember not to bite off morethan you can chew, or the side effectwill be worse than you knew. With all your new leisure, you’ll have time for a snack.So kick up your feet, and try to relax.

(P) Penknife Story: Through the Eyes of Familiars by: SilverPen
Looking through my eyes, you’re almost there.The key that you seek,you are unaware. To open any door you’llneed to pick the lock..A silver skeleton key can speed up the clock.Still if you can’t cut yourway through.We’ll desperately tryto stay familiar to you.

(E) Ever Bashing Boomerangs: Ever the Same by EvertheSame


(N) Nosebleed Nougat: Emotionless Meets Faceless by bluenose
When you get tired of fighting, go deep, deep down until your nose bleeds, eyes are black and blue and your face no longer meets your opponenets.

SNAPE-- (theme Potions)

(A) Amortentia: Amortentia by sand_at_your_feet_
If you love someone, let them go. If you hate someone, grab 'em and hang on like a dog with a stick. Snarl a bit, too -- that's always fairly effective. Just not in front of a teacher. Better yet, it’s high time you met a Grim, then your mind would go blank. You won't mind -- it'll be a refreshing change from the raging torrents of thoughts that have been pouring through you lately. With the sand at your feet and wind in your hair, love certainly is in the air.

(N) Newt: Harry Potter and the Ancient Runes by RavenGryffendor
Let the runes be your guide to solve this difficult clue.A seer has seen the future, which will be a guide for you.This word has a double meaning, depending on your course.This task you seek to master, requires a second chance. So use mind to find the answer and prevent Trelawney’s end.
(O) Oblivious Unction, Dr. Ubbly's:Oblivious by Adele
Several times this month, you will find yourself discussing whether the main problems in the world are due to ignorance or apathy. Personally, I don't know and I don't care; neither do the teachers, Ravenclaws, or Slytherins. You could try asking Hufflepuffs, but just to warn you, they are not aware there are problems in the world today. Being oblivious can be such a relief.

(R ) Rat Parts:The Ferret and the Beaver by Bouncing Rat


(B) Babbling Beverage: Because Of you by Slytherin Babe

rehtalb dna ssenhsiloof, esnesnonfo egaugnal eht ni uoy pleh lliw that gnihtemos?eugnot ruoy nesool ot gnihtemos no pis ot erac

BARON-- (Theme Famous Dead Witches and Wizards)

(A) Albus Dumbledore: A reunion by Albus Dumbledore
Mystical in speech, thought, magic and mind. Heart of truth, trust, loyalty and time. Reappearance hopefully, needed, destined, and unknown.A frame of a life, human, master and soul.

(M) Morgan le Fay: Harry Potter and the Morrigan by morgan le fay
On wings, a half brother an enemy she did make. Daughter of Igraine and a character of myth--Antagonist of a hero, residing in Avalon.A sorceress of this power will demanded her story lives on.

(G) Gregory theSmarmy: Harrypotter and the Battle of Fate by Greg_26
Your best mate at a sip--Sounds like a Weasley concoction.Look further still and someone older appears.Not a Weasley, not a Marauder and not evena student. Still their legacy lives on in the castle.

(O) Oswald Beamish: To Become an Animagus by FaymosAmos
A pioneer can be described no more,than somebody who stands up for the ill fated and obscure.Demanded equal rights, under the law.For creatures whose stature is still rather small.

(S) Salazar Slytherin: Slytherin's Revenge by MargaretLane
A certain one of a Hogwarts Four possessed a balance of the best and worst traits. Having had a deep sense of loyalty and knowing how to keep secrets, placed under a sign and terribly obstinate. If you look improperly, you’ll find your stroll down memory lane will be remorseful and you’ll seek vengeance against the riddler’s pen.

Mosag-- (Theme-- Magical Creatures)

(A) Augurey: Harmless and Easily Domesticated by AngieAstravic
A vulture like face, with a cry of demise.Bursting into flames and reborn, to again fly. The sound of its song you might be in vain,but if you open your ears it might signal rain.

(N) Niffler: Children of the Elements by OrangeSpottedNiffler
I see it sparkling beneath the soil,I can’t keep from this obsessive toil.Within my lair, deep underground,I seek a treasure by sniffing around. I’m quite a friendly affectionate kind,But I might bite a finger off to make a treasure mine.

(N) Newt Scamander: Newt Scamander's tedious in the extreme relization by ilovedrpotter
A fig of a man, and a dog of a beast. It’s the name of this inventor, so to speak, that you seek.Asking dragons, werewolves, or a kneazle too,they tell you the contributions are unwarranted and a rue. Living in Dorset, the high might life, relaxingin the country with his fine little wife.

(O) Owl: The Novel by Night Owl
I might be black, I might be brown.I might have spots, speckles all around.I might be small or I might be fat. I might have horns, but I'm not a bat.I might scream loudly, I might not peep.I might be late, cause I need sleep. Can you guess, what I am?I’ll give you a hint, I’m not a man.

(R ) Raven: Forbidden Love by Raven
Forevermore, my heart is gone.Memories of oldForgotten feelingsPermission deniedBetween two loversWho never sharedA morning encounter.


Ronan (Theme-- Random Trivia)

(S) Seer: The Seer Overseen by LadyRedRoka
Who could have known the whole wizarding world made such a blunder, that it took nineteen years for the truth to righten itself? Who could have known that Trelawney just might have been on to something? Someone with the Inner Eye would have.

(O) Ollivander: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C. by Aaran St Vines
To weigh in on this great clue,you’ll need a scale or a magical tool.To be a master of this craft, you’ll need to be clever, and never daft.Since this artist, left his place,a replacement is needed for heaven sake.If you discovered that the talent you lack,then find this old stranger and bring him back.

(M)-- Marvolo: Tom Marvolo Riddle: I Am Lord Voldemort by Aram


(E) Enchanted: Enchanted by shaeydyh
Letting go of love will not helpFor perils lay ahead of the beaten pathA timeless loveBewitched by fateUndo this magic to solve this clueBefore you fall behind and it's too late.

(T) Time Travel: TIME TRAVELERS!! by mayo
You have all of the elements available to solve this clue.Fortunately, you do not have time to linger over these wayward travelers.

(R) Riddikulus: Love Me Knot by hyperproper
This is a good time to get out there and live the life you never had the chance to! I'm often tempted to do that, but I just can't figure out where "there" is -- every time I get there, it's here. Maybe if I run really fast? Or perhaps tie the knot? It’s not all that riddikulus of a notion in matters of the heart. Oh well, if you figure it out, be sure to be happy. And if you need guidance, I’m sure Trelawney’s Inner Eye can sort the way.

(O) Occlumency: Inferno by o0o_MoonyGirl_o0o
When no weapons are at hand, Your mind is needed to stand. When you go to bed at night, Lock your thoughts up tight, Or you will bare the fiery flame Of the sun in the moon’s name.

(L) Latin: Extempore by BitterEpiphany
**Lingua ero vestri rector**

(L) Lumos: Lumos Potter and the Stone Pearl by Dolphinluva



(Y) Yew: The Death of Cedric and Beyond by YewFeather
Come to the evil ledgeYew know you want toAnd try not to fall overLest you meet your death.

This Spells out Myrtle's Loo


1 : Flushing Once Oh how dreadful, I knew that boy could not be trusted. In his second riddle pay attention the first and seventh letter of his second hint.
Word: To
2 : Flushing Twice This is my favorite suspect out of the lot. He’s not afraid to show his softer side. In his first hint you’ll need to write down the first letter of his third sentence followed by the next to last letter in the same sentence. Next, you’ll need the letter between the two “e’s” in the last hint. You’ll only need the last end to finish off this word. Word: Save

3 : Flushing Thrice by Myrtles_Loo While this suspect is not the first person I would have asked I would still share my toilet with him. He mentions the next word you need twice, and no it isn’t the obvious word. Word: Professor

4 : Flushing Four Times by Myrtles_Loo Poor miserable mopping Myrtle, he never cared enough to come check on me. He doesn’t care that I died. He thinks everybody is capable of solving his or her own problems. Do you remember to whom he was referring?
Word: Trelawney
5 : Flushing Five Time by Myrtles_Loo I personally avoid this henchman. He gives me the shivers. I would not share my toilet with him. If you look at the first two letters of the next to last word in the first sentence of the third hint you’ll have a start. You’ll need an us to help you make the bridge before you add the final letter, which is beginning of the name of the person who won’t approach this henchman.
Word: Flush

6: Flushing Six Times by Myrtles_Loo I’ve ventured into this place a few times. I wouldn’t recommend it. If you take a gander at first word in the second hint it will all make sense. Word: The
7 : Flushing Several Times by Myrtles_Loo We’re getting near the end and it’s important you pay attention to the order I’m about to give you. Find the first letter of the second word in hint VI and then the double letters in the perfect hint. Word: Loo


Final Puzzle:

Who would want to flush poor Professor Trelawney down a loo? Surely you didn’t think she fell in there on her own free will? Myrtle does have a habit of embellishing the truth. My inner eye has found evidence that one of the suspects wanted to place a hex on the Professor as an early birthday presents. Below is the Prophecy that Trelawney was working on when she was attacked and cursed with an enlarging bladder hex. Can you solve this final mystery first?
Through the sight of the crystal orb, one is prepared.For the most abnormal of hallowed bonds will be shared.On a code of honor the vows will be sealed.A silver streak will cross my love vein.He will join me in this rite, on the darkness wherethe moon glows as scarlet as Mars.An early birthday present is not what is desired.

July is turning out to be a very very busy month at HPFF. To start out with, we held a very successful competition that has ended in just as much mystery as Trelawney’s disappearance. Our Mystery winner has not yet been announced because we’re waiting on information on how to deal with the prize.

Our site’s competition sponsor, Alivans: Maker of Fine Wands, donated a fabulous crystal ball. This is a must for all your divination needs. In a selfless act our mystery Ravenclaw has offered to donate the prize towards our RIF summer campaign. More information will be posted soon, we just want to make certain all our ‘i’ are dotted and ‘t’ are crossed before we make an official announcement. The answers to the riddles will also be posted before the end of the month. We’d like you guys to think of this competition as a warm up. We’ll be having another big competition this fall that is endorsed by the Dark Lord himself. If you guys would like to send us feedback on what you’d like to see in our future competitions please e-mail your suggestions to competition(at)harrypotterfanficition.com.

In the spirit of our RIF campaign we have updated our recommended author(s), story and
top 5. Our recommended authors for the month of July are our Prefects for their effort in the “Prefect Story” collaboration. They’ve all decided to torture us staff members by making us guess who wrote what story. While I guessed who wrote my story, some of them are still posing a little bit of a mystery. I think Ravengryffendor is proving to be the sneakiest sleuth in the group. I think the Slytherins were considering trying to get her to join their lot.

Our recommended story this month is also very special to the site. It’s a collection of bedtime stories for the youngest of Harry Potter fans. This project was put together by our own Timeturner. It’s also a collaboration of stories from various authors across the site. I had the privilege of testing my own pen in this endeavor and the proved to be one of the most challenging pieces I’ve ever written. The reason I say this piece is special is because it directly relates to our RIF campaign. Our goal with this campaign was to help make illiteracy a relevant point and one of the simplest things you can do to help make sure reading is an important part of the children you love lives is to read to them.

I've had several members asking me lately (mostly over PM & email), why their chapter has been waiting in the queue for so long, often over 10 days.

"Bizarre," I thought. "I was in the queue last night and the wait-time wasn't anywhere near that long."

So I grabbed a cup of coffee and off I went to investigate. And I discovered two things:

1) They did, indeed, submit the story at least 10 days ago.
2) But they have edited the chapter since.

Whenever you edit a story that has been submitted to the Queue, the Queue automatically sends it to the bottom of the list. It does this, smart Queue that is it, to prevent people from abusing the system, by submitting 500 words of spam or an incomplete chapter, to secure a place in line, while they finish their story. (We don't like line-jumping. Star Bucky thinks it's quite rude, in fact. It makes him cry and iron his ears.)

What this means is, if you edit a chapter that is currently in waiting, you can effectively double your wait-time before the chapter is validated.

So, let's say you've submitted a chapter and 2 or 3 days later you're itching to edit it, but don't want to lose your place in line. What's a writer to do?

Here's my suggestions:

1) If it's a minor change (ie, typo, fixing grammatical error, adding an authors note), resist the urge. Wait it out. Take up knitting, work on a new story, clean your room, do anything but edit that chapter! Then, once your chapter has been validated, if you go back and edit it, it goes back into the Queue, but into a different line. Edits to pre-existing, validated chapters are fast tracked in the Queue, and usually validated within 1-2 days.

2) If you suddenly realize, "Uhoh, my chapter violates the ToS!!!" please do edit it. Fix that open formatting tag, remove copyright protected material, add that strong violence warning, delete that adult/minor relationship, or whatever else might make your chapter ToS compliant. You'll be saving yourself time, because we'd only reject your chapter anyway.

Not sure whether your chapter violates the ToS? If, after you've read through the rules again, you're still unsure, please ask a member of staff. :)

Happy Writing!

Does the competition have you down? It seems that our difficult puzzles and riddles have run a few of you off. This is where being a contest junkie gets complicated. If we make the contests easy then everybody gets through them, but if we make them too difficult…

Perhaps we should offer a bribe? I mean I’d hate to see that fantastic prize offered by Alivan’s go to waste. I’ve decided I’m going to make this contest a little more intriguing. Let me first explain the Oracle.

The Oracle was created because with the new moderations it was impossible to conduct the competition the same old way. Also, we wanted to shake things up a bit. How the Oracle works is fairly simple. Instead of the hints being hidden invasively inside stories they are hidden inside an Oracle. The Oracle works like a Magic 8 ball would. You answer the riddle then try to figure out the story that relates to the riddle. Plug the two parts of the answer in, give it a good shake.

The Oracle is very very picky and the spelling has to be right. I recommend you copy and paste the URL to ensure you don’t have any typos.

The second question many of you guys are asking is where are the Henchmen. They’re hidden on the archive. They aren’t hidden in any chapters or stories! All you have to do is find their page to find their riddles.

Here are a few hints, tips and freebees to help you on your journey. First, IGNORE the old hints from the Anniversary Scavenger Hunt. I would remove them, but I can’t at the present time. Also, the first hint is hidden in the Divination Professor’s Author’s page. If you don’t know who the Divination Professor at HPFF is, then I suggest you visit the forum where the answer is pretty clear.

In the forum the henchman names each riddle. Once you find your first henchman this will make a lot more sense. To help you on your way we’re giving away a freebee because the Oracle is not above making a mistake. For the Riddle: Do I Smell a Detention the answer is and the Hidden Enigma….


I hope you guys are enjoying this competition and may the best sleuth win. Keep your eyes peeled for The Snitch. I hear he has found a copy of all the answers and riddles lying around on Madame’s desk. He’ll be dropping hints and possibly answers to unsuspected players.