Disclaimer: This information is provided as a guide so that you can further enjoy the SS School RPG. This information is subject to changes as more information about the characters is revealed in the story. Also, please remember that some of this information may not be known to your character "IC".
| House Point Totals | |
|---|---|
| Slytherin | 5343 |
| Hufflepuff | 5343 |
| Gryffindor | 3708 |
| Ravenclaw | 3490 |
The 2079-2080 school year kicked off with a few new guests at the start of term feast. Instead of there being four house tables and one staff table, the Great Hall was crammed with six tables total: one each for the Houses, one for the staff, and one for the sixteen Board of Governors candidates vying for the eight open positions on the Board.
The sixteen candidates up for election were:
1. Carter Phillips
2. Nolan Reynolds
3. Althea Schirmer
4. Roxanne Carter
5. Lourdes Black
6. Gavin Higareda
7. Selena Zabini-Riddle
8. Amelia Thorne
9. Atticus Aldredge
10. Ivy Knox
11. Sherman Clark
12. Corineus Vanderbilt
13. Layla Dacosta
14. Cooper Cope
15. Andrew Rose
16. Erik Vinteren
The school year started without a hitch. Librarian Leobald Kitridge, with the support of Board of Governors President Cassandra Rae-Branxton, planned a special auction to raise money for the library's reference section. The reference section had been damaged in a fire at the end of the previous term due to an evil, powerful, revenge-seeking Egyptian spirit.
The fundraiser, however, was very, very successful, raising over 156,000 galleons and numerous donated books for the school. Much of the money came from donated items being auctioned off, items that had been donated from Diagon Alley shopkeepers, Board of Governors candidates, and professors, like Hecate Lafay, who donated a vial of liquid luck. Some professors were even auctioned off themselves in a special "Spend a Day with" auction.
After the auction, the BoG candidates started observing lessons and evaluating professors, as practice for what they would do as actual elected governors. Although the professors didn't know it, one candidate was also using this freedom in the school to snoop around several offices. Ancient Runes Professor Abraham Botros, Herbology Professor Seren Bentley, and Astronomy Professor Airey Flamsteed all had their offices broken into and rummaged around in. It was unclear what the foreign candidate Erik Vinteren was looking for, but there were no clues to link the break-ins back to him anyway.
The term continued with the first Board of Governors debate in Hogsmeade in December. Planned by Muggle Studies Professor Gemma Cerulean and a team of good students, the debate featured several general questions to the candidates at large and a poll for the audience at the end. The debate took place in Hogsmeade, and the three candidates with the lowest poll results were dunked in an large vat of icy water. Despite having imbibed something spiked with a babbling beverage, Althea Schirmer placed first in the Hogsmeade debate. Rounding out the top four were also Erik Vinteren, Carter Phillips, and Sherman Clark. The bottom three, who were dunked, were Nolan Reynolds, Amelia Thorne, and Layla Dacosta.
After this debate, Thorne dropped out of the race, and Board Vice President Anjelica Lainey also resigned from the Board of Governors. There were now nine open positions as the BoG hosted a second debate January 1, 2080 at the Ministry of Magic. Before the debate, candidates Erik Vinteren and Ivy Knox met with Atropos Trelawney, known Dark Wizard and owner of Moribund's Pub in Knockturn Alley. Vinteren ended up putting out a hit on his fellow candidates, Corin Vanderbilt and Gavin Higareda.
The Ministry Debate proved to be much more lively for the candidates and their managers. Ministry employees and the Board President, Rae-Branxton, oversaw the debate and tailored their questions to each individual's background and platform. The candidates were also allowed to [s]attack[/s] question each other. At the end of this debate, Schirmer, Reynolds, and Vinteren placed in the top three, and Dacosta, Zabini-Riddle, and Aldredge finished as the bottom three.
Zabini-Riddle and Dacosta were the next two to drop out of the race. Dacosta cited the "safety of my unborn child" as her reason for dropping out, while Zabini-Riddle said she was "sickened with grief over the death of her aging pygmy puff" and thus unable to continue her campaign.
Shortly before the third and final debate was to be held, the remaining thirteen candidates were able to interact with the public in an afternoon candidate rally held in Diagon Alley. With nine slots open and sixteen people still campaigning for them, the candidates went all out at the rally, handing out free goods from their sponsoring stores and even bags, candy, and t-shirts with their faces on them.
The third debate was then held in Florean Fortescue's ice cream parlor, in a laid-back, round-table style setting. Audience members were able to sit almost elbow-to-elbow with the candidates, and were in fact encouraged to shout out questions whenever they felt the urge. Candidates faced questions from young Hogwarts alumni including one about how to handle grief and tragedy at the school, and one directly from the Headmistress herself about how to handle ineffective teaching staff.
It was soon time to vote, and polling locations opened up on May 1 all across the wizarding world. Ministry employees were able to vote at work in the Atrium, Diagon Alley employees and members of the public cast their ballots in the middle of the street, and Hogwarts employees and legal students could vote just outside the Great Hall. Students younger than seventeen were also able to take part in the democratic process, although their votes were just counted in a mock election.
The results for the election were announced at the end of term feast and in a Daily Prophet article. The Hogwarts students elected the same Governors as did their adult counterparts, with the one exception of the students picking Gavin Higareda instead of Erik Vinteren. The nine official, new Hogwarts' governors, elected by the popular vote, include Atticus Aldredge(managed by Livia Frost); Sherman Clark (managed by Chesney McCready); Cooper Cope (managed by Warfield Rockefeller); Ivy Knox (managed by Chandler Montgomery); Carter Phillips (managed by Charles Hollingberry); Nolan Reynolds(managed by Satine Ferris); Althea Schirmer (managed by Keaira Black); Corineus Vanderbilt (managed by Honora Aveleen O'Fay); and Erik Vinteren (managed by Bjorn Berg).
The term ended with a few last-minute House points being given to Slytherin House, and thus both Slytherin and Hufflepuff wound up as co-victors of the House Cup. Hufflepuff also won the Quidditch Cup, and Slytherin won the Gobstones cup. Overall, it was a calm term at the school and an exciting one for many adults in the wizarding world. With the new Governors in place, hopefully the next year will be even safer for the Hogwarts students and staff.