Hogwarts Live Blog

Ever dream of becoming Minister of Magic (yeah, me neither)? But for those of you who like popularity contests we now have monthly elections for the Minister of/for Magic. You, with your 7+ Voldemort Encounters (the metric of all true leadership potential), can vote daily like it's a BuzzFeed poll, or run for Minister of Magic yourself if you've hit 50 VEs. Candidates give speeches, accept donations, and cry when they lose. The winner gets to keep the title for a month in the real world. The losers get the existential crisis they deserve.

Now on to Ministry Jobs, which answers the age-old question: "What if my wizard could file TPS reports and get mauled by a cursed typewriter in the same day?" That's right. You can now work in various Ministry departments (yes, including the Department of Magical Accidents because irony is not dead), earn gold, gain work experience, and even get performance reviews, because nothing screams "fantasy escapism" like being judged by a fictional middle manager. You might even get promoted, provided you survive the office dragon (we don't speak of the Intern Massacre of 2020).

And lastly, do you like brooding NPCs with dramatic backstories and suspiciously few dialogue options? Excellent. You can now "Search Your Soul" (which sounds like a rejected Linkin Park album title) on the 7th floor of Hogwarts, "Daydream About Someone" at the Hogshead Inn (because mental instability is fun), or "Reflect on Romance" in the gardens like a teenage Dumbledore. Warning: you may become emotionally attached to a pixelated character who doesn't know you exist (just like real life). We may add additional NPC options (ideally quirky ones), but for now there's only three. Note: This feature is only for players who are not married.

If you notice something wrong petition for help and we'll try to fix it when we have time.

5/6/25
Could you use a new day? Quidditch training not progressing quickly enough? Are you tired of dying to the Dementors and not being able to escape through the tunnel? Or maybe you want to try to win the Wizard Card contest? Whatever the reason for wanting a new day, this could be your lucky week! We are raffling off 25(!!!) New Days to ONE lucky winner! It will run for 1 week only so be sure to buy a ticket or two! But wait, THERE'S MORE!

Next week we will be giving away another 25 New Days to yet another winner! In fact, we'll be having a weekly New Day Raffle for the next 5 weeks! So get out there, collect your beans, and buy some tickets!

Good luck!Could you use a new day? Quidditch training not progressing quickly enough? Are you tired of dying to the Dementors and not being able to escape through the tunnel? Or maybe you want to try to win the Wizard Card contest? Whatever the reason for wanting a new day, this could be your lucky week! We are raffling off 25(!!!) New Days to ONE lucky winner! It will run for 1 week only so be sure to buy a ticket or two! But wait, THERE'S MORE!

Next week we will be giving away another 25 New Days to yet another winner! In fact, we'll be having a weekly New Day Raffle for the next 5 weeks! So get out there, collect your beans, and buy some tickets!

Good luck!

EDIT 5/13/2025
Supreme Deity stranger was the winner of the first Stack of New Days. Congrats to him!
Second Week-long Raffle for 25 New Days is Active!

EDIT 5/20/25
Archmage michalba was the winner of the New Days Stack Week 2. Congrats to him!
Third Week-long Raffle for 25 New Days is Active!

EDIT 5/28/2025
The God aurorx was the winner of the New Days Stack Week 3. Congrats to him!
Fourth Week-long Raffle for 25 New Days is Active!

EDIT 6/4/2025
Youthful Exuberance Henderson was the winner of the New Days Stack Week 4. Congrats to him!
Fifth WQeek-long Raffle for 25 New Days is Active!

EDIT 6/13/2025
Twinless Geminiii was the winner of the New Days Stack Week 5. Congrats to her!
Sixth and FINAL Week-long Raffle for 25 New Days is Active!

So your Headmaster (me) just dropped a new feature that's basically Pokemon but with more British accents and ethical ambiguity. Enter the Fantastic Beasts Module, where you punch magical creatures in the face, then shove them into a sentient suitcase like a deranged wizard hoarder.

You'll meet Newt Scamander (aka Magical Steve Irwin), buy a suitcase (because apparently backpacks are passe), and start your morally dubious journey to "catch 'em all" but only one of each, because this isn't a petting zoo, it's a prestige prison.

Fight creatures. Capture them. Log their trauma in your Bestiary. Rank up until you're a Supreme Magizoologist (which sounds fake but okay). Give your beasts names like "FartGoblin" or "VoldyDaddy" because this system allows color formatting and we know you can't be trusted with power.

Will there be trading? Maybe in the future. Will we read your feedback? Also maybe. Just don't cry if we don't implement your 42-slide deck on creature mating mechanics.

Now go forth. Capture beasts. Name them dumb things. Do your best impression of Cesar Millan.

Your Headmaster has just dropped a steaming hot cauldron of NEW FEATURES into the game and now my wrists hurt cause I've been working like a house-elf on mop duty after the Quidditch World Cup.

Found a bug? Just petition for help or hop on our Discord and we'll get to it when we have time.

Don't like something? Don't whinge like a third-year denied a Hogsmeade pass. Instead try suggesting a better alternative.

Voldemort Challenges & Encounters
- Implemented a 7-year cycle of Voldemort encounters
- Created 5 unique challenges per year

Quidditch Cup Tournament
- Added Quidditch training and matches
- Implemented different positions (Seeker, Chaser, Beater, Keeper)
- Created house-specific teams and competitions
- Created pro league for Hogwarts graduates and older students

Niffler Pet Forest Special
- Implemented the ability to get Nifflers as pets like from Fantastic Beasts (similar to the Phoenix, but the Niffler helps you find more gold and gems)

Other Forest Specials
- Aragog and the acromantulas
- Obscurus
- Unicorns
- Centaurs
- Troll in the Dungeon
- Dracula
- Vampire Bill from True Blood
- Lestat de Lioncourt from Interview with the Vampire
- Edward Cullen from Twilight (w/ chance of Jacob)
- Van Helsing
- Selene, the Death Dealer from Underworld
- Buffy the Vampire Slayer (w/ chance of Angel or Spike)
- Florida Man (w/ Quidditch tie-in)

New Races
- Implemented vampire as a playable race with special events
- Added trolls as a playable race with a special event
- Added house elves as a playable race

New Places
- Hogwarts Classes
- Slug Club
- Magic Dojo
- Whomping Willow
- Lottery
- Fangtasia, Vampire Bar
- Staten Island Residence from What We Do in the Shadows
- Madam Pomfrey (for Donators)

And other small things I won't mention, but you may run into...enjoy :)

Now, you may be wondering, "Why do I need new colors?" First of all, how dare you. Second, because people asked for more colors.

Are these colors final? No. (So stop complaining or come up with better ones.)

The current (again, not final) list:

1 - Dark Blue
2 - Dark Green
3 - Dark Cyan
4 - Dark Red
5 - Dark Magenta
6 - Dark Yellow
7 - Soft Off-White
~ - Ash Gray
! - Light Blue
@ - Light Green
# - Light Cyan
$ - Light Red
% - Light Magenta
^ - Light Yellow
& - White
) - Gray
e - Dark Rust
E - Light Rust
g - Extra Light Green
j - Mid Gray
J - Mid Blue
k - Aquamarine
K - Dark Sea Green
l - Dark Link Blue
L - Light Link Blue
m - Wheat
M - Tan
p - Light Salmon
P - Salmon
q - Dark Orange
Q - Light Orange
R - Rose
T - Dark Brown
t - Light Brown
V - Blue Violet
v - Ice Violet
x - Burlywood
X - Beige
y - Khaki
Y - Dark Khaki

Try them out. Experiment. Go full Burlywood if you must. (No one knows what Burlywood is, but it feels like something that would either be sold at Whole Foods or summoned during a blood moon.)

And if someone tells you your chosen color is "hard to read," simply respond in Light Cyan: "My aesthetic transcends your ocular limitations."

Heads up, HLers! Exciting bit of news! Danilo has made it possible for Juan and myself to hold raffles for you! This means more raffles on a more regular basis! Thank you, Danilo!!

Most of you are familiar with how raffles work, but for any newer players who have not yet been around for one, I'll do a brief explanation before announcing our first raffle of the year.

I'm sure you've come across Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans in your travels across the site and as you've been fighting in the forest. You have three options when you find them- Save, Eat, and Throw it out. Hopefully you've been saving at least some of them because these are what you use to buy raffle tickets!

Each raffle has a set price for tickets and you are free to buy as many tickets per raffle as your beans allow. To check your beans, simply click on your name from the Student List or in chat and your Candy Stash balance is posted in your bio. If you are low on beans and want more in a hurry, you can use donator points to Buy Candy in the Prefect's Lounge.

The most recent and any current raffle(s) are shown in the Candy Raffle link on the left, as well as your bean balance if you forgot to check beforehand. The link will display ACTIVE to alert you to any current raffle. Entering is easy. Click on any current Raffle you'd like to enter, enter the number of tickets you'd like to buy, then sit back, cross your fingers, and wait for (hopefully) your name to be picked! Winners are chosen at random automatically through an online generator- staff has no control over the winners.

And now, drumroll please....

This month's raffle is for.. a whopping 10,000 donator points to ONE winner!!!
This means ONE person will walk away with 10,000 points which they can spend in the Prefect's Lounge, it means enough points for tons of Custom Titles, gives Hogwarts Live Alumni status to protect their account from deletion, AND even ONE Name Change if so desired!! What?! Woohoo!!

Now go out there, find some beans, and buy your tickets! Remember, it only takes ONE to win!! Have fun and good luck!

Look, we thought we were done. We really did. We unleashed the first major Hogwarts Live redesign in over 20 years, dramatically wiped the sweat from our brows, and prepared to retreat into the dark abyss from whence we came.

But no. That would be too easy. Instead, like a Hogwarts staircase deciding it's had enough of your nonsense and moving just as you reach the top, we realized: there were still things to fix. And there may be more to come.

The Updates You Didn't Know You Needed (and Might Still Not Appreciate):
First off, the blog design now actually matches the main game. That's right. No more weird dissonance where you felt like you had stumbled into Bizarro World every time you clicked from the game to the blog.

Secondly, minor tweaks to improve the mobile experience. Because apparently, you all keep insisting on playing this game on your phones instead of carving ancient runes into stone tablets like reasonable people. So we made it slightly less painful to navigate, which means less accidental button mashing, less weird formatting, and fewer moments of existential dread as you try to click a link and instead open eight different pages at once. (No promises, though. Chaos finds a way.)

On a final note just because you ask for something doesn't mean we'll do it. Not because we don't love you (we don't), but because democracy is a lie and we're running this place like a slightly benevolent dictatorship. (If enough people scream the same thing at us, though, we might listen. Maybe.)

Yes, you can still complain, but it won't change the fact that this update is happening. Your options are: adapt, accept, or stage a dramatic protest.

So go forth, explore, break things (preferably not on purpose), and if you find any bugs, remember: they're not bugs. They're features.

And if you've read this far? You either have impeccable taste or far too much free time. Either way, you belong here.

I know it has felt like Hogwarts Live's old design had been running since the dawn of the internet or at least since the age of dial-up, which is basically the same thing. If you're reading this, congratulations, you're witnessing history. For the first time in over two decades, we've updated the website's design. That's right. The old version has finally gone the way of VHS tapes, floppy disks, and whatever dignity we had left.

Why the update, you ask? Because apparently, time moves forward and people don't just sit at their desktops anymore. Some of you maniacs actually leave the house and expect to play Hogwarts Live on tiny, glowing rectangles. Ridiculous, but fine. So, like the benevolent gods that we are (at least on HL), we have bestowed upon you a mobile-friendly version of the site.

Yes, this means you can now duel, cast spells, and waste your life away in HL while pretending to listen in meetings, ignoring your family at dinner, or avoiding responsibilities in ways previously thought impossible. You're welcome.

Now, let's address the elephant or Thestral (if you have the sight) in the room. Things Look Different. We know change is scary. Some of you have been playing this game since the Bush administration--pick one (well not quite that old). You probably have muscle memory for the old layout. And yes, this is like coming home only to find that someone rearranged all the furniture, replaced your chair with a slightly comfier one, and burned your favorite old sock in a ritual sacrifice to the CSS gods.

Look, we tried to keep things familiar while making sure your precious experience is less likely to break if you so much as breathe near a mobile browser. It's a delicate balance. Like keeping a Dementor as a pet--possible, but you'll probably still lose most of your soul in the process.

What You Need to Know:

- You can now use HL on your phone without feeling like you've traveled back to the GeoCities era. That's right-no more zooming in and out like a lunatic just to read the text.
- If something's broken, we totally meant to do that. No, really. But also, maybe tell us if it's broken so we can pretend to fix it.
- You can send us feedback, but we will ignore 80 percent of it. Democracy is an illusion. However, if enough people request the same thing, we might consider it. Otherwise, your suggestion will be tossed into the same void as why doesn't Hogwarts have normal high school subjects like Math.
- The game is still the same ridiculous, chaotic, text-based nonsense you know and love. Just, you know, with less suffering on mobile (hopefully).

If you're struggling to adjust to the changes, just remember. Dumbledore changed the entire House Cup standings overnight based on pure favoritism, and people survived that. You'll survive this. And if you don't, well, someone else will take your place. That's the circle of life at Hogwarts (Live).

So go forth, explore, break the new layout in ways we didn't expect, and if you find any bugs, just tell yourself they're features or petition for help and we'll get to it when we have time.

I'm making some necessary updates to our DNS settings over the next 72 hours. During this time, you may experience temporary difficulty accessing the site or notice minor data loss for recent actions.

I'm working hard to minimize disruptions and appreciate your patience. If you have any issues, please petition for help, though they'll likely be resolved after 72 hours.

Thank you for understanding!