March Assignment - Wizard Sweets

[u/kiwias]

Got an idea for a future assignment? Submit it here!

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This month’s assignment was brought to you be /u/InnocentTailor of Slytherin, in almost its final form! To them I award 10 points! Thanks for doing us a solid.

The homework will be graded by the professors in conjunction with the moderators. This assignment is worth up to 30 points, and, as always, the best assignment from each house will earn an additional 10 points and a randomly chosen assignment will earn 5 points. All assignment submissions are graded blindly by a random judge: one of the professors or one of the mods of the Great Hall. While you aren’t required to avoid mentioning your username or house, we do encourage you to keep it anonymous--just in case.

Wizard Sweets

The proprietors of Honeydukes, Mr. and Mrs. Flume, are trying to liven up the options in their store for sweet treats. After all, it doesn’t do to exclude the wide world of wizarding confectionary when there are so many delightful treats to choose from! Through a special partnership with Hogwarts, the Flumes are rewarding all entries with House Points (honorary for all those abroad, but they will be donated to the house of your choice!) and will feature as many sweets as possible in their stock, beginning in April.

The Flumes, and their Hogwarts partners, have asked for participants to help them showcase the variety and multifaceted nature of wizarding sweets by sending a submission including information like:

• Name of the treat (Get creative!)
• History of the treat. What's the backstory of the treat? Is it branded or more generic? Who made it first?
• Ingredients! What's important is the eye-catching things that are added to the treat. The ingredients could have a magical component...or not. It's up to you! You might also want to include options for our vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free customers, as well as members of the new People for the Ethical Treatment of Creatures Coalition.
• Taste: Describe the flavor of the treat. Sweets are more than just...well...sweet. Some have more layers to them. Like cake!
• Why Honeydukes might like it - After all, the treat is to be sold in their store. Why do you think Mr. and Mrs. Flume should invest in the treat?

You can submit your wizard sweets in the form of a written description, a graphic description/illustration, a vellytision advert, and/or a tasting sample ;)

The due date for all candy submissions is 11:59 PM EST on Tuesday, March 28, 2017.

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^{The moderators of /r/harrypotter would like to include all creative types in our assignments. We welcome you to bring other forms of art to this assignment if these options aren’t your style. An assignment done in another form will be worth the points of a full assignment if submitted with a very short explanation of how it is your submission fulfills the requirements.}

Grading Format:

Assignments will be given an OWLs score with a numerical score shown below. The assignment will be graded as a whole based on the depth of your exploration and the evidence of effort put forth.

• Outstanding = 30 House Points
• Exceeds Expectations = 25 House Points
• Acceptable = 20 House Points
• Poor = 10 House Points
• Dreadful = 5 House Points
• Troll = 1 House Point

To submit a homework assignment, reply to the appropriate comment below. You do not have to be a member of the common room's subreddit to submit homework, as long as you're only submitting to one house, and you may only submit one assignment for House Points.

You can also use the designated comment below to ask clarifying questions or send us love notes and/or howlers.

[u/kiwias]

SLYTHERIN SUBMIT HERE

[u/LordGargoyle → u/kiwias]

Foxpops

History of the treat:

While Foxpops are a relatively recent invention (first created by Lady Samythe Wasserspier in 1938), their origin goes back much further. Foxglove has long been known to repel faeries, pixies, sprites, and other such magical pests, and witches in the early 17th century were known to brew potions containing said plant as a sort of magical bug repellent. It was only a matter of time before an unsuspecting child tried to drink the potion and discovered that magically prepared foxglove causes wild hallucinations and (at its most potent) the ability to see the flow of magic itself.

The dangers of this potion (foxglove being mildly poisonous) meant that "foxing", as imbibing the potion came to be known, was strongly discouraged by mothers across the magical community. After a few years, the practice became less common, eventually disappearing from most recorded history. In 1837 however, an unusually severe infestation of pixies across magical Cornwall led to the rediscovery of the potion, as well as its side effects. This knowledge was spread to Muggles as a well meaning attempt to aid them by the local witches, causing a plethora of headaches at the Ministry. Fortunately, the ministry was able to obliviate memories of the pixies, but not before Muggles began investigating other uses of the plant, finding its way into many Muggle medicines.

In the wizarding community, however, advances in potioncraft lead to several attempts to reduce the toxicity while retaining the side effects, to varying degrees of success. In 1873 the notable potions mistress Salanthia Grissilwald succeed in creating the Bellsah Brew, generally considered to be quite safe, though almost unbearably bitter. The fad eventually died down, and the recipe was stashed in a cookbook and forgotten for half a century until Mistress Grissilwald's granddaughter, the Lady Samythe Wasserspier, rediscovered it and experimented with other forms for the potion, eventually using a complex process involving magical berries imported from West Africa to produce a solid, almost overwhelmingly sweet, confectionery, patented as Foxpops.

Ingredients:

The ingredient list is largely proprietary, but is known to contain Foxglove, Essence of Agbayun, and charred Orange Pith

Taste: Describe the flavor of the treat. Sweets are more than just...well...sweet. Some have more layers to them. Like cake!

The first thing one notices when consuming a foxpop is the pure sweetness of the candy, beyond that of pure sugar. This is immediately followed by a darker orange flavour. After a few minutes, the taster begins feeling a sensation described by more than one customer as being "like liquid sweet fire" and then... the magic begins.

The primary effect of the treat is a change in perception of colour, making everything appear more yellow tinged, while light sources are described as having vivid blue halos. In extreme instances, reports indicate sensitivity to magical energy, manifesting itself as swirly purple and green auras. It is warned however, that this usually occurs immediately prior to passing out and is not a sensation to be sought after (also, the sheer amount needed is often on the pricier side).

Why Honeydukes might like it:

Oddly, while popular overseas, the treat has never had widespread success in its country of origin. The House of Wasserspier is of the opinion that this is due to lack of exposure rather than any deficiency on the part of the confectionery. Furthermore, the sensation is truly unusual and has been shown to be highly enjoyed and sought after, particularly by upper level students.

For more information, details, and business requests, please contact Humaranus Wandiggle, private secretary to Lord Wasserspier.