heidi | FA Challenge with an EXCELLENT Prize!

FictionAlley is one of the sponsors of The Witching Hour, the October conference in Salem that's all about Harry Potter - the books, the movies, the fandom and the impact it's had on literature, particuarly YA (young adult) literature.

As a sponsor, we have the opportunity to offer one registration to TWH (current value US$180.00) to the winner of a writing contest here at FA.

Here's the challenge: write up to 5000 words from a paper, essay or answer to an O.W.L. or N.E.W.T. question from the perspective of any character in the HP books - what would Dumbledore have written about in his fifth year History of Magic class? What essay did Sirius write for Slughorn at the end of his fourth year, and what did Regulus focus on in his upper-level Defense Against the Dark Arts class? What was the theory behind Hermione's rune translations for her O.W.L.'s? Did Bill Weasley ever write about werewolves in Kettleburn's Care of Magical Creatures?

You might want to take a look at Sublimation & the Snitch by Samvimes, who'll join two of the teachers on FA's mod squad as the judges for the challenge, for an example of a term paper as written by an HP character; the entirity of the fic is Remus's Freudian analysis of Quidditch, written for his History of Magic term paper.

Essays, erm, we mean fics, are due by August 25, 2005 at 11:00 pm UK time, and the winner will be notified by August 30, 2005. Every entrant will see their Owl Box here on FA double in size for a year, effective on or before September 15, 2005.

To enter, post your fic in this forum by the deadline. Remember - this is supposed to be a school essay so we ask that all submissions be rated PG-13 or less.

You must be older than 18 as of October 6, 2005, or between the ages of 14 and 17, and able to comply with The Witching Hour's rules; you are responsible for transportation to The Witching Hour, and all ancillary expenses at and regarding the event. You will also have to provide your real name during the TWH registration process, but not to FA.

If you win, and have already registered for TWH, you can sell your registration pursuant to TWH's rules.

Any questions? Ask them in S&Q or send an email to help@fictionalley.org.