Types of skills

[alt_draco]

I ought to be going on to the Great Hall for breakfast but, I'm not very hungry today. I was trying to read a book father gave me, called The Chess Mind and it tells you how to play chess and also how to be good at it can help you in real life. It says chess builds logical thinking skills, which I guess must be true. I wish I enjoyed chess more but when I play it feels like taking an exam and who wants to take an exam for fun? I will keep reading the book though, because if Father gave it to me then it must be important.

But I think creative thinking skills are as important as logical ones. Back at home Harry and I would always make up games together, and I like that best because then you can come up with your own rules instead of following someone elses. One of the games we played was called Green Ghost. I've never actually seen a green ghost but that was the colour of the blanket the person being the ghost would hide under. Mother put an obscurrity charm on the blanket so it was really dark in there and the ghost wouldn't be able to see anything. Of course real ghosts don't look like shapeless people under blankets, and the ghosts at the Manor would probably be offended if they saw us, but we usually played this game at Kensington or the Lord's Palace. There weren't any ghosts there because muggles used to live there and a muggle never leaves a ghost. I'd say more about how Green Ghost was played but its hard to explain and you would have to see it to understand how it worked.

We played hide and seek a lot too, which everyone knows how to play but at the Lord's palace, especially, it was enormous and the game could go on for a really, really long time and once I hid so well I was sort of lost. Harry was really good at finding people, but I was really good at hiding. Hydra was better at hiding than anyone, but she would always run out of the hiding spot if her name was called so that rather ruined it. And also

Well brilliant, now I'm hungry. Maybe I have time to grab a bun before heading to the greenhouses.

Comments

[alt_padma]

I think most poeple who play chess get all shirty about having to win and then your right, its not as fun. I try not to worry about winning or not and sometimes I win but some times I dont and its more fun that way.

Of coarse losing isn't very fun but moving the pieces can be like a puzzle.

Green Ghost sounds like this game Parvati and me used to play called Ghoul-o-vision but I don't know for sure since you only said how it starts.

You really got to play hide-and-seek in the Lord Protector's house? That's brilliant. We used to play that at Zach's place and thats pretty big, but nothing like a palace. How many houses does your family have?

Dont get cross because I'm talking to you, only it's History of Magic and Binns is boooooring.

[alt_draco]

We have Malfoy Manor in Wilshire and then Kensington Palace in New London, and I think there might be one or two houses on the continent as well. But there's a lot of different places we've stayed at, like St James which is one of my Aunt's houses and Grimmauld Place which is my great Aunt's house, and also my grandmother's manor in Sussex. And I've been at the Lord Protector's palace loads of times.

[alt_harry]

Green Ghost!!! Why dont we play that here? We could ask the bloody Baron if it bothered ghosts to see us play it.

[alt_draco]

Who's going to ask the Bloody Baron, though? I'm not! Plus I don't know, seems like we're supposed to play serious games like chess now.

[alt_sally_anne]

Well -- you know, I've been looking at some of the old annuals from the school, because I wanted to see what my father looked like when he was at Hogwarts. And there was this game people used to play called A.K. It's kind of like a grownup hide-and-seek with wands, almost, and it sounded really fun. And it was even older students than firsties playing it back in the old days, there were fourth and fifth years playing it.

So it's not just chess and gobstones and exploding snap.

[alt_sally_anne]

Although now I think about it you might think it was silly or too complicated or something.

There's one person who runs the game and everyone else is supposed to be an assassin. The person running the game gives everyone an assignment so like if you, Harry, Michael, and Teddy were all playing, you might be assigned Michael, Michael would have Teddy, Teddy would have Harry and Harry would have you. And you're supposed to hex the person so their ears turn blue. It's a really easy hex but it's kind of long so you have to do it very quietly so they don't hear you, because if they DO hear you or if they know you're coming for them they're allowed to hex you first. And if you get hexed you're 'dead,' you're out, and you have to tell the person who hexed you your target and that becomes THEIR target. So if you hexed Michael, and Michael's target is Teddy, your target would be Teddy.

You're not allowed to hex people in class because it would be disruptive, or in your common room or dormitory, but corridors between classes and mealtimes are fair game. And if you hex the wrong person or an innocent bystander the person running the game lets everyone hex you.

There's also a potion that turns people's ears blue if you make it right, but Professor Slughorn would have to let people come in and make it if we were going to use it.

I don't know, it's really complicated and one person would have to run it and maybe no one would want to play anyway and it might make teachers cross.

[alt_padma]

But we're not supposed to do magic in the corridors.

[alt_susan]

I think it sounds wizard!

[alt_draco]

When did they play this game? I've never heard of it, but maybe Father or Mother have. They must've let people hex in the corridors back then, maybe because mudbloods were allowed to be students so the real wizards and witches needed to be on guard. Anyway it sounds fun.

[alt_sally_anne]

The annual I found that talked about it was from 1974 or 1975, I think. Actually now you mention it I think it was against the rules to do magic in the corridors then, too, but the students who were playing just tried to make sure no one saw. Of course if we played it we shouldn't do that, I wouldn't want anyone breaking rules.

When did your parents go to school? I can show you where they keep the annuals. It was really strange to find pictures of my father when he was my age. I don't look much like him.

[alt_draco]

I don't remember when my parents went to school, it was yonks ago. Oh but I guess I do remember Father saying he became Head Boy in 1971. I look a lot like my Father, and I've seen pictures of what he looked like at my age because we have them at the Manor. Did your Father play quiditch for Slytherin or anything like that?

[alt_sally_anne]

Don't tell anyone (that was a joke I know everyone can read this) but my father was in Ravenclaw, not Slytherin. Aren't I lucky I broke the family tradition? But he didn't play quidditch for Ravenclaw either. I don't think he ever even tried out for the team.

Did your Father play quidditch? Or your mum - I guess that one's hard to picture, she always looks so dignified and perfect it's hard to imagine her playing a game where she'd get rained on or whacked with bludgers. But there's no rule that says quidditch players can't be beautiful.

[alt_padma]

So they probably didnt play this, then.

My parents went to school even before that, I think, but Parvati and I have an older brother whose already finished school, and then Mum started her busness and I guess they waited awhile before having more kids, I dunno why.

My dad played quiddich, he says. And we also play Gilli-Danda at home, and Kabaddi when we've got enough relatives to play that.

[alt_harry]

I suppose but Green Ghost was loads more fun than chess.

[alt_draco]

You know I agree with you. Anyway, I don't see why we have to be serious already, with games I mean.

[alt_harry]

So maybe we can play Green Ghost without telling the Baron.

[alt_draco]

I think it'd be okay if we did it in the common room or the dormitory, I've never seen him in either place.

[alt_harry]

I wonder why?

[alt_draco]

Maybe he doesn't like children?

[alt_susan]

I actualy think your right about creative things being as important as logic. It seems like logic is usually more important for lessons though.

Green Ghost sounds like it was fun.

[alt_draco]

Magic is most important for lessons really.

[alt_megan]

Maybe people who are extra specially clever and good at taking exams think taking exams is are is fun? Don't Ravenclaws like taking exams?

[alt_padma]

Malfoy,

I know you dont want to play in it but would you mind looking in your book to see if it gives rules for a chess tournamant? Like maybe in the back?

Perks has't done the rules yet and I want some idea before I ask Professor Vector.