What is the Site's rating?

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We are rated as PG-13 or 2-1-2. We have an in-depth tutorial of what we look for on our Site in relation to its rating.

What are the rules of the Site?

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All rules OOC can be found here.

What happens if I don't follow the rules?

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If you do not choose to follow the rules of the Site, consequences would be made. Dependent on the rule(s) being broken, it can result in a temporary ban to a perma-ban from the Site.

I feel very comfortable in this community. I'd love to share more about myself. Am I allowed?

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We are happy of your ability to feel at home here at HIO, however, we ask that all OOC information are kept hidden for security and safety reasons.

Someone is harrassing me OOC through owls and/or Discord. Who do I go to for help?

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Go to any staff member. You can see a list of staff members here. On Discord, all staff members are in purple. If you are getting harassed by a member, be the first to speak up. You may not be alone.

What does a regular daily schedule look like at school?

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The daily routine (excluding the weekend) would look like this:
7:00-9:00 — Breakfast
9:00-12:00 — Classes
12:00-13:00 — Lunch
13:00-16:00 — Classes
16:00-18:00 — Free Time
18:00-20:00 — Dinner
20:00-22:00 — Free Time (for younger students curfew is at 21:00)
NB: Astronomy class is an exception to the rule and takes place at a different time.

What days are off for the holidays?

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The official school holidays during which the students can go home include

Christmas/Winter, Easter and Summer holidays.
Winter (2 weeks) — December, 23-January, 5.
Easter (2 weeks) — March-April (different each year), two weeks of holidays, one on each side of Easter Sunday.
Summer (2 months) — July, 1-August, 31.

Can we just leave or enter Hogwarts whenever we want during holiday time?

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No. You can either apparate or take the train out of Hogwarts. Students do not have the ability to apparate and the train leaves and arrives only once during the holidays (beginning and end).

What kinds of muggle devices work in Hogwarts?

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None! Sorry Muggle-borns, but Hogwarts does not have electricity and no electronic muggle devices work in the castle. Not even a regular film camera can work! (Unless you get it magically altered!)

When will we graduate to the next year?

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Graduation happens each real year in the beginning of July. All the players whom are registered on the Index and have logged into the site at least once since the beginning of the year, will be automatically moved up to the next year.

Please note that the homework system is not connected to the graduation and it's not required to meet any requirements there. Though all the spells and potions, which were taught (via homework) in the previous year, can be added upon request to the character's trunk after the graduation to the next year.

Any player that does not want to move up to the next year (for example, if they joined shortly before graduation and haven't had time to properly RP their first year), are free to owl any Head of House and express their desire to not be moved up.

I am having a hard time uploading an avatar on my profile. What do I do?

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There can be several reasons for this:
1. The file type is wrong, we do not accept gif files. Make sure that the file is an actual image file.
2. The image is too large or too small. The resolution of the avatar must be at least 260×260 and its width/height ratio must be smaller than 260x300, otherwise the image will be distorted. Its weight must be less than 4 Mb.

If you are having a hard time uploading an image or changing an image, there are plenty of users that offer avatar services in their shop. Please refer to the Out of Character Shop for shops that may be helpful for you. You can also ask for more personalized (cost free) technical assistance of the staff. We won't make you an avatar but we can attempt to help you troubleshoot.

How do I block posts by someone I do not want to see on site any longer?

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We have a FOE option which can be found in your profile page. That picture frame with your avatar in the upper right hand corner. When you are looking at your profile this way you will see on the upper left hand of your profile a button that says EDIT PROFILE. From here you have a drop down with several options. The bottom of which is FOES. With foes you can block the messages of members that you do not wish to interface with so you do not need to see their messages. This does not block private messages (owls) nor does this notify them that you have blocked them.

The use of this tool should not be a replacement for a healthy conversation about boundaries.

How do I prevent someone from messaging me over owls?

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If you click the letter on the upper right hand corner of the page, entering the Owlry. From here there is a drop down on the upper left, the bottom of which being Settings. In settings you can use the following command:

Code: Select all

If Sender is user then [insert their name here] delete message

You will never get their messages. However they have no way of knowing this. To get them to stop communicating with you, you will need to communicate this with them in some way. Again, this is not a replacement for having a conversation about boundaries.

How can I prevent someone from messaging me over DM?

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We have an official discord and you can block someone on discord. Blocking someone on discord prevents them from private messaging you and hides their messages on shared discords. This does not notify the user that they have been blocked beyond the fact that if they were listed as a 'friend' previously, this is removed and if they try to private message you they will be told that you cannot be reached.

Players are not to use the site as a means to circumvent this nor are they to use our discord as a way of attempting to contact you. We expect your privacy to be respected. Players sending messages for someone blocked (again failing to respect boundaries) will also be dealt with severely. Please respect boundaries.

Again, using block mechanics does not replace having a firm discussion regarding boundaries. However if someone is refusing to respect boundaries please contact an Administrator with screen shots.

How do I report harassment?

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Contact any Head of House, Professor or Prefect that you are comfortable with. Please provide them with information, screen shots, relevant links and any information that you can. We do take harassment very seriously. You also have the report option on posts as well as in your owls. If you get an inappropriate owl or find an inappropriate post do not delete it, please report it.

How do I use the invisibility cloak on the marauder's map?

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We have an invisibility option which can be found in your profile page. That picture frame with your avatar in the upper right hand corner. When you are looking at your profile this way you will see on the upper left hand of your profile a button that says EDIT PROFILE. From here you have a drop down with several options. PREFERENCES is one above the bottom. You can click on the check mark to use the invisibility cloak (make you invisible) however in removing your ability to be seen, you also remove your ability to see others on the map.

How do I change my password or email address?

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We have an ACCOUNT option which can be found in your profile page. That picture frame with your avatar in the upper right hand corner. When you are looking at your profile this way you will see on the upper left hand of your profile a button that says EDIT PROFILE. From here you have a drop down with several options. ACCOUNT is the top option. Once inside you can change your password or email address.

How do I change my gender?

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We have a sizable LGBTQ+ community and many identify as gender fluid or find transitioning to be a large part of their character's story and development. This has in the past been limited because staff are finite beings but we now offer a self-moderated option where a player can change their own gender. This option can be found in your profile page. That picture frame with your avatar in the upper right hand corner. When you are looking at your profile this way you will see Gender listed above your birthday. You can click on your gender and have three options -- male, female and non-binary. You can choose the one that fits you.

Can I change my birthday?

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No. However if you made a mistake with your birthday (mis-clicked the month for example) then you can get to it in your profile page. That picture frame with your avatar in the upper right hand corner. When you are looking at your profile this way you will see your birthday.

Please remember your birthday has to be correct (as in the correct age one would come to Hogwarts), we do not admit someone under-aged no matter how 'talented' they are.

How do I organize owls?

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You can create FOLDERS. A folder is a place where you can place specific messages. You can even make it so that messages from a certain person go to a special file or those tagged with a certain phrase in the title go to a special folder if you so choose.

If you click the letter on the upper right hand corner of the page, entering the Owlry. From here there is a drop down on the upper left, the bottom of which being Settings.

How do I subscribe to a forum/threads?

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A the top of each forum you enter there is a bell icon. Click on the bell icon to subscribe to a forum. You will get notified in your rememberall whenever a new post is made in this forum. This can also be done with threads!

How do I send items?

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By entering your Trunk. You can find your trunk by clickin on the picture frame with your avatar in the upper left hand corner of the screen. This takes you to a drop down which includes your TRUNK. Once inside your trunk you will find several categories: School Supplies, Books, Ingredients, Potions, Clothes, Food, Jokes & Hoaxes, Quidditch and Others. Your items are packaged by category. You simply click on the item(s) you wish to give to someone else by clicking on the + sign. Then you would click on the option to GIVE. This will bring you to a new screen where you would simply type in the recipient's name. You can also attach a message (we recommend that you do).

How do I donate galleons?

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New payers (first years) cannot donate galleons but they can trade items. This is to reduce the cheating we sadly experience and it is also something that is hard-coded into the site so it is not something that we can easily change.

To send someone galleons you click on their profile and you will notice next to their TOTAL WEALTH a button that says [give]. If you click on this you will be brought to a new screen where you can give someone money assuming you have the money to give. You can even add a message (we suggest that you do for your records).

What are stats?

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Statistics are numbers each character has that aids them in actions. There are a total of six (6) different skills (Stamina, Evasion, Strength, Wisdom, ArcPower, Accuracy) to stat your character with. We have an in-depth post to help calculate your character's statistics.

How do I acquire stats?

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At the start of each school year or when you start the game you are given base stats which you can place anywhere, creating a unique statistical representation of your character. Every player starts with 30 to 35 stat points that they can place wherever they please. Players that are a special race (think Veela, Dhampire, Metamorphmagus, etc) start with 30 stat points whereas players that elect to remain normal humans start with 35 stat points. Once you pick your stats they can not be decreased, only added to (exception: you registered as human but then apply for a special race/talent).

You can gain stats 3 ways besides this:

1. By winning an official Quidditch match you can gain 1 stat point.
2. By winning an official Duel you can gain 1 stat point.
3. By winning an official Broom Race you can gain 1 stat point.
4. By graduating and moving on to the next year you can gain 5 stat points.

Why do I need to have stats?

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Each player creates stats for their character so that they are able to participate in other site-related errands and events such as Duelling, Quidditch and other adventures.

Where do I post my character's stats?

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On your character's encyclopedia page and when you are participating in events, duels or quidditch matches displaying them in a reducio or placing your stats in your signature will make your moderator's job much easier but the only thing required is documentation in the encyclopedia page. Keep in mind that modifying the stats will be punished.

Are there any caps or restrictions when calculating stats?

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Yes. you need to place at least 1 stat point in STAMINA, otherwise, you have 0 health and would start every battle passed out. Beyond that we do have caps which are as follows:

First Year: you cannot have more than 10 points in any one stat.
Second Year: you cannot have more than 10 points in any one stat.
Third Year: you cannot have more than 15 points in any one stat.
Fourth Year: you cannot have more than 15 points in any one stat.
Fifth Year: you cannot have more than 20 points in any one stat.
Sixth Year: you cannot have more than 20 points in any one stat.
Seventh Year: you cannot have more than 25 points in any one stat.
Adult: You cannot have more than 25 points in any one stat.

Can other stat points be added on my character's stats?

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Yes. Different abilities, races and roles that your character takes in the community can affect their stats.

Can I have multiple stat builds?

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No, the intention is that an excellent Quidditch player is not also a top duelist. You can be good at both but there will be different skill-sets and abilities that facilitate a player's success in one realm over the other.

When can I pick an ability or a race?

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In order to pick an ability, the character must be added to the Index. To be added to Index, an Encylopedia page has to be created on this forum, and an application has to be filled for approval. Once the character has been added to the Index, you can apply for a race or an ability for approval.

Please keep in mind, races must be within 30 days after registration, and abilities can be picked at any time throughout the year. Players are not allowed to change past abilities.

What is the difference between an ability and a race?

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A race describes certain genetic skills (such as Parselmouth or Seer) as well as the conventional race (being part Veela or part Goblin for instance). These are aspects of your character that would heavily define you as a character and give a lot more bonuses than a single ability. They basically provide your character with an ability every other year. Because races define characters so heavily, we only allow players to apply for a special race within the first 30 days after they have been sorted. If you do not pick a special race, your race would be considered "human."

An ability is something that you work for or perhaps are naturally inclined towards (such as being very charming). These are smaller benefits and something a user can pick each year, resulting in a custom character that suits your vision. Unlike a race, you can pick an ability at any time after you have been sorted. You also get to pick a new ability each year when you graduate.

I applied for a race or an ability and I have not received any status if I'm approved for not. What do I do?

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Registration for a race or an ability can take between a few days and up to two (2) weeks depending on how busy our moderators are. If you have been waiting for longer than two (2) weeks, please contact Solomon Lear.

Please do keep in mind that our staff are real people and are doing their best to help you!

Can we apply for abilities that are still in the making?

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The best part about our community is that we are always growing and adding more for our players. If there are abilities that are coming soon, we cannot apply for them until they are ready and finalized to be applied for.

My character has the ability, Parselmouth, are there limitations and advances to this ability?

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Just like any ability (and race), there are limitations and advances. Parselmouth has a lot of limitations and rules that coincide with this ability. We have a tutorial on how to best use this ability with your character.

What is an Encyclopedia page?

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Encyclopedia is a character's page that contains various information about a character. It is mostly used to keep track of a character's information, such as stats, abilities, history, roleplays, relationships and more.

It is a requirement to have an Encylopedia to be recorded on Index-- the list of all registered characters. It will allow your character to take the roleplaying game to the next level where you can participate in the Main Story and various adventures and games, play Quidditch, duel in the Duelling Club and more.

How do I make an Encyclopedia page for my character?

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Please refer to our tutorial on how to make an Encyclopedia page for your character.

What should be in my Encyclopedia page?

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Your thread should contain everything about your character. This includes the following:
1. Basic Character Information: name, school year, race, age, wand and history
2. Trunk post: stats, spells and potions learned, special abilities, etc.
3. Optional Posts: relationships with other players, chronological list of roleplays, etc.

This is just a glimpse of what needs to be and can be on your Encyclopedia page. We also have a more in-depth tutorial.

What is a Trunk Post?

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A trunk post is a repository for where you place your stats, where all spells and potions you learn will go and a list of any special abilities you might have will be listed. The trunk will be in your encyclopedia, but will look like it has been posted by the Game Master account. This is done to prevent cheating and/or changing stuff on the sly. You write the initial post and a moderator will change the poster to the Game Master for you.

Keep in mind, that there is an expectation for trunk posts.

To update your statistics, add new potions, abilities and spells, post in the Encyclopedia Update Form.

Can I redo my character's biography after Index approval?

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Yes. We allow players the ability to edit their threads in the encyclopedia area for the purpose of updating their stats, bio, making their encyclopedia more aesthetically pleasing, etc.

However, if you do major updates to your character's already approved backstory, you would need to be approved by the index staff again.

Small additions such as clarifying that your father's name is Daniel or that you used to vacation in Germany during the summers is not a major change to your backstory but if you are adding a major element to your backstory, removing portions of your backstory or changing parts of your backstory all together, then you need to go through the index team for approval.

If you are doing a major change, you must re-apply your character's encyclopedia.

Can I write my character having a disability?

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Yes. Students with disabilities can attend Hogwarts together with unimpaired students. Since our setting heavily focuses on magic, all diseases and disabilities that occur naturally will be noted by the school and can be healed by a Healer at St. Mungo's. Affected students would be forwarded to a healer to cure their ailments, meaning that a disabled student would have their disability cured within their First Year at Hogwarts. The exception to this are disabilities which were caused by magic. If you plan on your student having a permanent disability, it would have to have been caused by some form of magic.

We also ask that if your character has a disability that you are able to express said disability correctly. Please be sure to do the research of the disability. We never know our stories OOC and do not want to offend other players.

How do I get started?

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There is a lengthy tutorial regarding where we recommend that you start. Since we are such a large community, there is always something for everyone to do depending on what they want to get out of this experience so there is no 'one' correct path.

I can't seem to hit the 200 word count. How do you do it?

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When you roleplay you want to think about more than what you are doing, you want to consider why they are doing what they are dong, how are they feeling about what they are doing and you should also talk about your character's perception of what other people in your thread have done. This can sometimes take some practice but remember to describe-describe-describe.

What is the Main Story?

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These are incidents that affect the whole school. They are often moderated instances that are run by the moderation staff with their staff accounts. There is presently no Main Story adventures that are ongoing, but these are often overarching, complicated story lines that one person is not intended to fully comprehend (because you are living as part of the story). To participate in a Main Story Event you need to be registered in the Main Index and have your stats and trunk up to date.

How do I become a part of the Main Story?

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Previously this was based on house points being earned and having house-based adventures. This caused animosity among members. There is presently no way to get involved with Main Story and Main Story is on hold indefinitely. If Main Story were to return however or there was a major event run by staff, it is the expectation of the staff that your character gets registered in Index.

What is the current time IC?

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The game operates in real-time, which means "today" in the game is the same day in real life. The timezone of the website is Paris, France (GMT+1 and GMT+2 during daylight saving time).

Am I allowed to murder other characters with OOC consent?

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No. We are a consent-based community. In general you cannot do anything to another person's character without their expressed consent. The exception to this is when your character enters a moderated situation such as a sports game (Quidditch, Duelling or Broom Racing) or a scenario such as a ball that has moderators. In these cases consent is replaced with rolls using our varied systems to fairly arbitrate what lands and what misses. layers are welcome to use these systems in private if all members of a thread are willing (as that serves as consent). We strongly recommend using a bot to roll in our discord bot spam channel so that you are not accused of cheating.

Am I allowed to roleplay the past? What about the future?

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Threads may be dated to any time in the past including before your character attended Hogwarts (the thread shouldn't be located at Hogwarts then). Roleplaying in the future is allowed only within 30 days from the current date. There is an exception to this rule during the summer break (Jul-Aug), which allows the first-year players to roleplay up until September (including). This is mainly for new players joining during the summer break — not to wait several months until the actual start of the year.

How do I start a thread?

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Every player is able to start threads in Hogwarts. Threads are like snapshots of your character's life and time in Hogwarts. Every time you walk down a corridor, sit for a class and participate in a meal, you do not make a new post or a thread. Your posts are those special, relevant moments on the school year. Starting a thread can be harder than joining a thread because it is the responsibility of the starter to define the setting and consider a topic of interest.

If you are new to roleplaying, we have a tutorial on how to plan threads.

To make a thread, click "New" at the top left corner of the forum in the area you'd like to roleplay in.

How do you close a thread?

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[ Closed ] tag is usually used for abandoned threads that were closed by staff members to further replies due to inactivity, thread owner's request or other reasons. If you wish to close the thread because it concluded, the maker of the thread is encouraged to add a [ Finished ] or [ Completed ] tag to their title for the ease of the moderation staff.

What do certain tags mean?

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There are many tags that are used to help organize and label roleplay threads. We have a list of tags and their definition.

How do you make tags on threads?

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Code: Select all

In order to make tags, you must use brackets as so: [tag name here].

What do the symbols mean on the bottom of making a thread?

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There are eight different symbols that can help define your thread. For example, if you are roleplaying with your character, you would use the quill to state "roleplay". We have a tutorial that goes in-depth of all thread symbols.

How do I save my post as a draft? How do I find it after?

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Saving drafts is not possible in quick reply (replying without hitting the reply button). You will need to reply to the thread to write your post and on the bottom there is a little picture of a floppy disc. When you click that icon, it will save your post as a draft.

To find your drafts, click "draft" at the top of your reply. It will share with you the different drafts that you've saved. Click the draft and your saved post will appear.

Help! I accidentally deleted something. How do I get it back?

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We cannot help you if you deleted the content of your post, however, if you mistakenly deleted your entire post by pressing the small "X" on the side of your post, we are able to recover this because it has only been soft deleted. A soft deletion means that it is no longer visible to players but it is visible to staff. We can recover most posts if there's a request. Please contact a Prefect, Professor or Head of House member and they can be of assistance.

How can I join a class?

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No need to manually join a class! All you need to do is be active on the Site for 10-11 days of registration and have at least 20 messages. A popular way to reach the 20 posts counter is to participate in the Games Room. You can also chat with other players in The Leaky Cauldron, they have a fast-moving out of character thread that is frequented by chatty users in At the Counter called Let's Chat. You also have plenty of clerical things to post about such as your sorting hat experience, your train ride to Hogwarts, picking a dorm, introducing yourself in your house and writing your Encyclopedia Page.

How can I do the homework?

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Once at least 10-11 days pass since the day or the registration and you have at least 20 posts, the Report Card will appear under your profile (top right corner). The Report Card provides access to Homework system — a way to learn new spells and potions as well as house points for your house. The lessons will also become available through a Lectures button in the respected classroom. You can use either to attend classes.

Information on our Homework System Can be found here.

Is homework mandatory?

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No. Homework is completely optional for all players. Although you will receive spells and potions at graduation (end of the year), completing them throughout the year will allow your student to obtain potions and spells to help with errands, participate in sports (Quidditch, Duelling or Broom Racing) and Main Story events. But again, it is not mandatory to complete class homework.

What do "!" and "-" mean in the Report Card?

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"!" means there's homework to do in your year. This homework is required to be completed to open the next lesson or lessons. And "–" means it's optional homework. Either it's the previous year's homework, which you can still complete to gain more house points or just an optional subject.

Why do I have to be anonymous in my homework?

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We ask that all players keep anonymity in their homework-- especially the roleplaying section-- to prevent biased grading. This is to make all homework graded equally by the professor and/or their assistant.

You can write in first person (I, me) or third person (she, he, them) to help with anonymity. Some choose to have an alias that is not their own name. Keep in mind that if you choose to use an alias and it happens to be your character's name, professors can manually knock off points.

Can they see that it is my homework being sent in?

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No. All homework are anonymous with no attached account. They see just your answers and will grade them accordingly. The only time they are able to see who wrote what homework is after they have given the grade.

I just completed my homework and instead of getting a grade, it got sent back to me. What does that mean?

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Receiving your homework back without a grade means that your homework did not meet its expectations. Most homework is returned during a player's first year to get used to the grading scale.

I finished all the homework for my year. Do I have to wait for the following year to access the next year or do they unlock?

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If you've finished all the homework for your year, congratulations! Unfortunately, you do have to wait until the following year for the next year's homework to unlock. Each year is equivalent to an academic year. You will be able to see the next years' homework after "graduation" in July.

What do I get out of completing homework?

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You earn spells as long as you score better than a T (Troll) on a homework assignment. Spells are used in roleplays, in sports (such as duelling) and in adventures run by the staff. You also earn house points (the higher your grade, the more house points you earn) which contribute towards the House Cup. The House Cup is something we celebrate monthly. The winning house is celebrated, this is a point of pride for many players. In addition, prizes are awarded to the members of the winning house that contributed towards the win.

Can I share my completed homework with others?

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No, that is cheating. Some players are proud of their roleplays and wish to share those with others. If you choose to share your roleplay, please post it in an appropriate place as a solo AFTER it has been graded to preserve anonymity.

Can I give other members the answers to homework assignments?

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No, that is cheating.

What does anonymity mean?

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It means that we do not know who did an assignment. We do not want to know your character's name, we do not want to see special coding and we do not want you to mention what house you are from. When you share these pieces of information with us you place the Professor at risk -- they can be accused of playing favorites by giving their house or their friends better scores, or those that they do not like lower scores. For this reason we will not grade assignments if they know who they came from. We might ask another Professor to grade the assignment if it is your first time, but there is just as good of a chance that the Professor will simply grade it with a T (Troll) meaning you cannot get a higher grade or earn that spell until the end of the year.

It has been a few days and my homework has not been graded, can I ask the Professor to grade my assignment?

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That would break anonymity. Professors are usually pretty good about getting assignments done in a timely manner but like all things, give them their up to 2 weeks before you reach out. Also try to reach out to a Head of House so we can keep your name out of the conversation. At the end of the month especially, Professors try to get everything graded but there is no promises that by the end of the month if you hand in an assignment a few days before the end that it will be graded. They are busy just like you so please plan ahead.