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  Professors old and new combine with visitors from the tournament to begin a symposium of magical education. If it's not catching monster books in the woods or noticing the small details of the castle there's always the thrill of learning to fly a broomstick and crash landing (repeatedly). Not to mention Cheering charms affecting the second years when they aren't exploring the new rainforest in the greenhouses. While classes may be fun for the kids it may not always be so for the teachers, especially when unsavory transfiguration turns you into a small winged horse and your opposite gender. Or finding that a colleague has handicapped the defense potential of your fourth year class. Foreign delegates are also joining classes and starting seminars, though they may not see eye to eye with local counterparts.
  
  Maybe with Hagrid back the forest and castle are common to odd rambunctious creatures again. Something under the care of a Salem student slithers thru the halls sometimes hissing a merry tune. Not to mention an unusual lagomorph bounding into the grounds. Though these beasties seem gentle when compared to a troop of flying primates that attack some students, though the Salem Headmaster is unfazed fending off winged monkeys on a car. And some of the animals turn out to be students as several strive towards the pinnacle of special ability; snow leopards and lynx and occlumens, oh my! The real question is whether or not some students have bitten off more than they can chew descending into the lair of the acromantulas.
  
  A new year also means maintaining responsibilities though the prefects can be forgiven for throwing their own party. Still, that's no excuse for slacking education, with peer to peer tutoring widespread at the school including remedial spellwork, simplifying potions, improving study habits or an astronomy camping trip on the upper levels of the castle. When Jazz Hawke isn't heading the Hogwarts Players she's cracking down on pranksters. Madam Nadge upkeeps the Hospital Hut with aliments to the heart and mind. Though if your mind is worn from much though Counselor Biladeau-Yukawa may drag you from class when her Seer sense are tingling. Leopold Sandusky also does his best as Head of Hufflepuff, though only his house students don't talk behind his back. He's kind, such as when helping a student get a better wand though strict when a blabby mouth has exposed a friend's secret to the entire school.
  
  Weary the woes of the werewolves! SAWS has had a rough patch trying to maintain its image and support of students with lycanthropy. While the young Alexandra McGee has a close circle of friends the stigma isn't as soft for Zel Trumble. Figaro Sellaphix outs Zel as a werewolf sparking the Dinner Brawl in the Great Hall. What does this mean for the group after a broken promise leads to scrutiny from the headmaster and the leadership of SAWS unbalanced?
  
  With all the potential stress from school it's good to know come a Hogsmeade Weekend you can be yourself. Or someone else. Or attend the birthday bash of a very special squib. There are other means of relaxing too. Catch that last dip in the lake before the water is too cold. You might get to kiss somebody even if it isn't really your thing.
  
  

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  After months of waiting, the legendary competition has begun!  Students from all four schools are invited to enter their names into the Goblet of Fire in early September.  Soon afterwards, the First Task is announced and the Champions are chosen.  With three Champions competing for each school, there are plenty of wands to weigh, but somehow Mr. Ollivander manages anyhow.
  
  Anticipation builds for the First Task, and none of the Champions disappoint when their moment comes to shine!  Each of the brave competitors battles Acromantula on their way to collecting a strange wooden box as their victory prize.  When the dust settles and the points are tallied, Durmstrang comes out ahead, but the other schools are close behind! Though Beauxbatons does not like their standings.
  
  Even after the Task is complete, the challenge continues for the first group of Champions.  The wooden boxes are rumored to hold clues to the Second Task.  The Salem Champions work together to puzzle out how to open their boxes, while Sasha Schlagenweit and Vladlena Savitskaya both tackle theirs alone.  The tension is building between competitors, as Taryn Dickenson and Magdalena Eisenberg argue over tactics.  But with the Second Task announced on October 25, time is running out to solve the mystery!
  

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  As summer comes to an end, magical society is alive and well in London!  Jacoba Schlagenweit returns to Reducto Records, and the young woman quickly begins making some new friends and reconnecting with older ones.  Akiva and Raizel bond after a training session, and Bristol Collins and Charlotte St. James run afoul of each other.  Auror Trainees adjust to life after school, and Fauna Blake has an awkwardly adorable close encounter after a coincidental run-in with Flynn Hughes, but the poor healer may have other things on his mind after a potion experiment goes awry!  Werewolves Knox Greyfriar and Hannah Bombay are forced to face the music (which sounds a lot like a chorus of unhappy howling) as the outfall continues from their unlucky and unsanctioned sojourn during August's full moon.
  
  The 2009-2010 Quidditch season starts out with a bang -- literally! -- when old Hogwarts rivals Edmund Klint and George Carter are recruited by the same team.  Afterwards, Edmund talks through the situation with his girlfriend (and George's cousin) Emmylou Carter, and George attempts to sort things out with his own significant other.  With so much going on for these young stars, it's lucky that there are wise and sage Quidditch elders like Bristol Collins available to pass on some advice.
  
  Nate Briggs is finally sentenced to a stint in Azkaban after he was caught stealing the mysterious Muhra Glass, but the hunt for the missing artifact isn't over.  Sissel Jowd, newly transferred to Hogwarts, attempts to get Briggs to spill the location one last time, but Nate still isn't talking.  Jonas and Niobe brainstorm over samosas, and then Jonas attempts to get the hairiest Wizengamot member to sign a warrant so that they can search the Hogwarts Express.  Who has the Muhra Glass?  What will they do with it?  No one knows!
  
  Wheels are turning at the Ministry of Magic!  After a long and arduous campaign, Persepolis Zephyr finally becomes the new Minister for Magic.  She quickly begins to solidify her administration by reaching out to Head Auror Tamis Raynor, but will her shady dealings with Obliviator Mihai Zamperia spiral out of control?  Elsewhere at the Ministry, two RCMC employees discover that not everything is as it seems with a recent spat of paperwork, and a second gruesomely inverted corpse turns up in London, spurring accusations of dark magic.  That's not all keeping the Aurors hopping:  the Witches and Wizards in Red are still trying to track down Vesta Baddrick after her crime spree, and Auror Vivian Callen teams up with a WCU operative to help a couple of tipsy Knockturn natives find their way home.
  
  

Salem and the TetraWizard Tournament - Plot brainstorming for everyone's favorite American school and their participation in the Tournament.
Slytherin Quidditch - Are you joining the team?
Dueling Club - The first meeting is in full swing and it's not too late to join in!
Disposable Baddie - Vesta Baddrick's crime spree will soon come to its inevitable conclusion.
Hagrid's New Home - Help everyone's favorite half-giant construct a lovely new abode!
Frightfully Good Fun - The First and Second Years get lost at Hogwarts!

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  TetraWizard Tournament Update
  
  On October 25, the Goblet of Fire selected eight new Champions to compete in the Second Task!  Rumor has it that the strange wooden boxes retrieved by the previous group of Champions during the First Task may contain clues to help with the next challenge.
  
  The Second Task is due to take place in late November.  In the meanwhile, Champions and their schoolmates must work together to figure out just how to open those boxes! 
  
  Want to catch up on the TetraWizard Tournament plot?  Check out the wiki!
  
  
  New "Contact the Staff" Form!
  
  Do you have a question for the Curating team?  To better serve members when you all have questions or concerns and need to speak with a Curator, we've set up a form that will allow you to describe your situation and get it to the right people asap.  Using this form will help us stay more organized so we can answer and address things swiftly and thoroughly.
  
  You can find a link to the form on the Absit Omen Links block on the portal, or in the Absit Omen News area.
  
  
  "Staying Informed" Poll Results Are In!
  
  Thank you all for taking part in the recent poll regarding the best way to communicate important news at Absit Omen.  The results showed that Fortnight Fliers work well for keeping everyone in the loop, so we are working on new ways to keep them going behind the scenes.
  
  
  Make Images Float with the New BBCode!
  
  Need a splash of color, an off-center quote box, or an illustrating image?  Want to make your posts look even prettier than usual?  Now you can with our new BBCode upgrade!
  
  
  Curators: Hail & Fairwell
  
  Elle, a founder of Absit Omen, will be stepping down from her nearly 4 year run of service to this community.  I can't tell you how much it's been a pleasure being her teammate and watching her selflessly provide great curating to this community.  She's amazing!  We're happy she's sticking around as a member, but we'll feel her loss on the Curating side of things.   We have Elle to thank for the Dobby Swap and each 'month's Fortnight Flier plot summaries!  Send her a note today and let her know how much she's appreciated!  We wouldn't be here doing this without her. 
  
  Armiece is also stepping down as Curator.  Armiece has been a force of organization on the team and we'll miss her!  Time is a commodity we don't always have and we understand that different things call to her!  Wish her well!  Thank you, Armiece!
  
  Jess - your time on the team was short, but we appreciate it all the same!  On or off the staff, you're kind, thoughtful and your experience is a great asset to us all.  Thank you too as you step down!
  
  Nuri/Raine Almasy is joining the staff to round out the Curating team! We're really excited for all she can offer, so don't hesitate to come to her with questions, suggestions or comments!  Welcome, Nuri - you're going to do awesome!
  
  There have been lots of changes in the staff as summer hit, but I want to say that this doesn't mean that there's anything yucky going on behind the scenes.  AO is strong and will keep on!  There are no hard feelings with theses staff changes and I for one appreciate kindly all the help done past and present by all staff and members.  It truly is a community effort and I am proud. -- Sarah, Head Curator
  
  
  
  Help Wanted!
  
  Want to lend a hand at Absit Omen?  We would love to get your help!  The AO Team is currently looking for new Ambassadors and Aides to help us out behind the scenes..
  
  Visit the Staff Openings and Volunteer Opportunities page for more information!
  
  

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The wiki continues to grow into one of Absit Omen's coolest caches's of information.  Like a Gringot's vault, you have no idea what fascinating and ever-growing information likes in store if you explore.   Check this out:

Corpus Inversus Plot Chapter
Follow along in this deliciously grotesque plot, thread by thread.  Plot Chapters are complete with character lists, and summaries of threads in order by date, so it's easy to see what's going on and how to get involved.  Murders, mystery, and politics - wonderful stuff and now it's easy to follow along.Go to the wiki!

Level Two Roster Timeline
The comings and goings of Aurors and big-wigs on the Auror floor in easy chart form.  So handy! Go!