"So I thought to myself, 'Oi James, now you're done for!  It's dead dark an' you'll never find your way back!', then suddenly a second Hinkypunk -- a good Hinkypunk this time -- pops up behind me, an' he's lighting up the gap in the hedge, an' I say, 'Oh bless you, bless you, li'l mate!', an' I run run run all the way back home, and snuck back in bed 'fore anyone even noticed I was gone!"

"You're bluffing, Jamey!"  Albus Severus scowled at his older brother.  "No way you went down to the stream last night, no way there's a Lethifold behind the gorse, and way no way he took Griffy!"

"Leffy-fooled took Gwiffy-Wiffy!"  Lily Luna clapped her hands, grinning cheekily at Albus's glare.

"No bluffin'."  James gave his younger brother a deathly serious smirk.  "Only way to get your stuffed Griffin back now 'sif we go down there together.  You lure the Lethifold away, an' I'll grab Griffy."

"Al fools leffy-fool 'n' Jamey grabs Gwiffy 'n' Lily Luner's gonna watch!"  Lily danced about the room, singing her assessment.

"Oi crumbs."  Albus's face sank wearily into his hand.  "When do we go?"

James thought for a moment.  "Maybe Tuesday night, as it's full moon an' we shan't need the Hinky-"

"Biscuits and milk!"  Ginny sailed into the room with a loaded tray, then froze, reading their faces.  "Oh my!  What are you three planning now??"

After a moment of awkward silence, Lily shrugged.  "Nuffin' Muvver."


***************


Two wonderful stories in and six more weeks to discover some others, right?  Time to rattle some keys and jolt us readers with your great tales of tails, yarns of barns, and furry fantasies!

Give the time stretch between the earliest stories that those about to come our way, I am going to add our first two entries to Featured Story prominence.

Finally, please continue to cast votes for favorite 2018-1 challenge topics within the 2017.09.01 discussion space (scroll down SIYE home  page).  Note that the newest topic suggestions, plus vote-getters from the 2018-1 ballot, will be recycled as options for the 2018-2 challenge.

The votes have been tallied and the results are in.  The winners are as follows:

Best Comedy

And so it's that time again, time to vote for our favourite stories of the last two months.  Although a few of the categories are a bit thin on the ground with nominations it has been decided to keep to the schedule of a two-month cycle in order to hold the Annual Awards early next year.

And so I now hand the reins over to yourselves.  Please vote for your favourite stories.  Voting can be found here -

http://www.siye.co.uk/trinkets.php

I *think* I'm away on the 29th (calf shopping!) so voting will close and the winners will be announced on Thursday 28th September.

We at SIYE are thrilled to mark Albus Severus Potter's first ride on the Hogwarts Express this morning!  Cheers, little fellow -- it will all work out, yeah?

Challenge 2017-3 Update:

We're off to a roaring start.  Welsh Green, or Hungarian Horntail you ask?  Nay, the roaring is all the applause for two great stories already in the mill, and hopefully more to come!

A special note:  we received a question about whether it is permissible for an author to submit two stories to the same challenge?  The answer is that, to the best of our research, nobody ever said no (and indeed the Hemmingway 6 challenges actively encouraged multiple entries) so all writers with multiple beastly tales are welcome to contribute them!

By way of reminder, the topic for Challenge 2017-3 is  Somebody is going on a magical creature hunt -- tell us about it!  Categories for the challenge include 'Most Adventuresome', 'Most Unexpected' and 'Best Overall'.  Stories must be submitted by midnight, Nov. 15, in order for award announcements to be made on Dec. 1.  The strict requirement that stories focus on Harry/Ginny is relaxed for this challenge, although it's impossible to deny that HG stories are always real crowd pleasers.

Let's Begin Voting for 2018-1 Topics:

1. Years into their marriage, Ginny discovers something surprising about Harry.  Tell us about it.
2. By accident, Harry and Ginny stumble upon a hidden Portkey and are swept away.  What happens next, and how do they get back?
3. Harry has never been abroad before. His first trip is with Ginny. Where do they go, and why?
4. In the rubble of the final battle, Harry and Ginny both think that the other has perished.  What do they do?
5. Harry secretly discovers that the Mirror of Erised can be used for time travel!  Ginny secretly learns the same thing, and both begin using the mirror, without realising that the other is doing so too.  Oi, there's a recipe for trouble!
6. Harry's and Ginny's hectic lifestyles come to a screeching halt when one of them suffers a debilitating accident.  How will things change as the couple adjusts to a slow recovery?

Please let us know your preferences!  Please also feel free to make new suggestions, which will be added to the above list.

Her greatest fan just reminded me that today is Ginny's birthday.  Happy 36th!!

When Harry J's big day went off with a bang in the Cheviot Hills, I was off on travels, focusing on my road rather than his.  Perhaps he too will accept our belated cheers!

For this latest Challenge 2017-2 awards, we are pleased to announce (drumroll please) the following triumphant stories:

•     Most Humourous and Most Unexpected:  Revenge is Sweet by Gin110881
•     Best Overall and People's Choice:  Just a Talk and That's the Naked Truth by pleurocoelus

And finally, the Rory Award for Most Gratuitous Use of the Word 'Belgium' shall be shared between Revenge is Sweet by Gin110881, and Homecoming by Brennus.  

A tremendous round of virtual applause to our diligent judges:  ZA, SM, AM, KH, JG, MG and AS!

And now, here is the topic for Challenge 2017-3:  Somebody is going on a magical creature hunt -- tell us about it!

Categories for the challenge include 'Most Adventuresome', 'Most Unexpected' and 'Best Overall'.  Stories must be submitted by midnight, Nov. 15, in order for award announcements to be made on Dec. 1.

For this challenge, I am going to waive the strict requirement that stories focus on Harry/Ginny, although authors who find some way to at least weave them into tale will always earn a little extra appreciation from many SIYE devotees.

Please use this space to begin proposing topics for Challenge 2018-1.  Please Please.

The results are in for the May 2017 Dumbledore Silver Trinket Awards.  Huge thanks to everyone who voted, and congratulations to all the winners and everyone who was nominated.  Nominations are now being accepted for the July 2017 awards.

Best Comedy

• Winner: James and Me by Northumbrian
• Honourable Mention: Revenge Is Sweet by Gin110881

 

Best Drama

• Winner: Harry Potter and Love's Changes by ScubaDoc3
• Honourable Mention: The Reason Not To by potterfan2008

 

Best Romance

• Winner: James and Me by Northumbrian
• Honourable Mention: Realizations by potterfan2008

 

Best One-Shot

• Winner: Revenge Is Sweet by Gin110881
• Honourable Mention: Discovering His Roots by potterfan2008

 

Best Completed

• Winner: A Little Bit of Hope by CharmHazel
• Honourable Mention: Like Flames by DragonHeartstring

 

Best New Story

• Winner: Like Flames by DragonHeartstring
• Honourable Mention: James and Me by Northumbrian

The last two months have flown by and now it is time to vote for your favourites again.  The votiing is now open for the May 2017 trinkets.  We have a good number of stories submitted and your votes can be cast here -

http://www.siye.co.uk/trinkets.php

The results will be posted on 29th July so as to not clash with Challenge posts.

EDIT 24/7/17 - Due to work commitments on Saturday and being away on Sunday I will now close the voting and post the results on Friday 28th July.

Brill!  Happily, I have been proven wrong on both major counts of my message from this morning.  Sometime between my settling into a strange bed late last night, and my blearily hitting the road this morning, we did indeed get a second story before the deadline.  And, somewhere in all this, there may well be the mention of a flat EU country; purveyor of fine wheat beers and lagers!

Anyway, our two illustrious stories are:

• Revenge is Sweet by Gin110881
• Just a Talk and That's the Naked Truth by pleurocoelus

Community involvement is greatly encouraged, courtesy of the People's Choice award voting:

http://siye.co.uk/trinkets.php?peopleschoice=Y

Sometime, shortly after expelling the host of gnomes that broke into my home in my absence, I will try to write to esteemed judges with revised instructions.

Hmmm...  Well, unless someone has dreamed up a rather novel gag, I believe that the April Fool's Challenge has produced only one story.  It is, however, a fine one:

Revenge is Sweet by Gin110881

There will be no People's Challenge, obviously, so over the next two weeks judges will ponder the pranksome nature of a titilating tale of knickers, chess pieces, and misplaced attribution, to determine which of the following categories is a suitable award:

• Most Humourous
• Most Unexpected
• Best Overall

There is, to my knowledge, no gratuitous use of the word Belgium to evaluate, hence there is no need to compromise anyone's beer loyalties.

Dear judges:  I am currently on travel and am limited in my laptop time, so I will send you a note with instructions within the next 24 hours.

HG4evr!

             - GHL