The 3rd edition of the ‘Buried gems’ presents you with a story suggested by Alicia Rose and Aragorn. Thank you so much to you two. The story is an excellent perspective on the Weasley family and Ginny's childhood, and how she came to end up with Harry. It shows a deeper look at the brothers and makes them more human than some fics that only feature them as side characters. The story explores the relationships between the Weasley siblings, first from Ginny's point of view, and later her siblings tell us how they experienced Ginny's childhood.

I’m talking about "In the House of the Quick and Hungry" by Laura Laurent. The story was written back in 2004, so please be aware that some details differ from the late books.

Summary: The finer aspects of Ginny Weasley's life, all entwined, in their own way, within the story of how she wound up with Harry Potter. 

I’d like to thank everyone who has send a suggestion so far. I'm fortunate that I now have enough stories to publish a new edition of "Buried Gems" about every three weeks in the next months. Please be patient, I plan to accept every suggestion, but it may take a while before your suggestion will be posted. Of course, further suggestions are always welcome. Just send me an email (Gin110881@yahoo.com) with your favourite 'Buried Gem'. Please add a few lines to explain why you like the story so much and why everybody else here should read it. The story should be complete and preferable posted at SIYE before 2010.  

Due to my upcoming holidays, I'll probably won't be able to answer your email in the next 2-3 weeks, but rest assured that I will answer as soon as I'm back.

The results of the March 2018 DSTA's are as follows - 

Best Comedy

Best Drama

Best Romance

Best One-Shot

Best Completed

Best New Story

Through the mad scramble, Harry tried to ignore the frightful racket and the random writhing limbs flailing all about him.

Concentrating solely on Ginny's legs as she shimmied ahead of him beneath the final table, Harry dodged feet, knees and chairs, desperate to escape a Valentine's feast gone slightly awry.  Seeing his favourite redhead leap clear, feint past a couple of dozy-eyed snoggers, and break wildly for the exit, Harry whooped in joy.

Seeking to follow, Harry sprang out from beneath a gaggle of shrieking Hufflepuffs, got both feet beneath him and-

"Gak!"

... found himself face to face with a slavering Millicent Bulstrode; his formal necktie looking tiny and sad, clenched in the Slytherin witch's meaty fist.

"Erm, didn't I hear Draco calling you?"  Harry attempted a disarming smile, even as he strained to twist away from menacing lips that loomed like a large pink inner tube, glistening with still-fresh pumpkin juice.


  -:-:-:-:-

What in the blazes is going on?  Does Harry escape to the comforting company of the only other non-addled Hogwarts student?  Is pumpkin juice a bad idea, in general, in any sober-minded institute of magical education?

The answers to those quandaries, or to your own far more interesting questions, await us all in Challenge 2018-2:

Tis the Valentines feast at Hogwarts, and something is odd.  The pumpkin juice tastes suspiciously good, and all who drink it are behaving strangely.  Uh oh.

Awards will be made for Most Humourous, Most Unexpected, Best Overall, and People's Choice.  Completed stories must be submitted by midnight, July 15, in order for award announcements to be made on August 1.

Submissions must be stand-alone stories that are marked as complete by deadline; stories must be shorter than 20,000 words; R-rated stories are discouraged, and judges are not required to read them.

Please continue to cast your votes for the 2018-3 challenge topic.  Additional suggestions are highly encouraged (the list could use some freshening) but prior vote-getters include:

1. Years into their marriage, Ginny discovers something surprising about Harry.  Tell us about it.
2. Auntie Muriel announces that she will take her tea at the Burrow next Sunday.  Excuses fly as everyone tries to avoid attending.  Will anyone escape?
3. A debilitating accident brings Harry's and Ginny's hectic schedules to a screeching halt.  How will things change as the couple adjusts to a slow recovery?
4. Harry has never been abroad before. His first trip is with Ginny. Where do they go, and why?
5. Late at night, a hooded stranger appears at Harry's bed and casts a spell.  Another does the same to Ginny.  The mysterious pair meets in the Common Room.  After a kiss, they whisper, "That’s done.  Now, for the great adventure."  What happens next?
6. Times are tense at Grimmauld Place... until Sirius and Lupin start sharing tales of old Marauder Pranks.  Suitably inspired, Harry and/or Ginny (you choose) decide(s) to liven things up with a bit of their own mischief.

Finally, it's been a blast, but I think we're heading toward a time when you'd likely all do best with some fresh new inspired management for the Challenges.  Who would like to rise to the occasion and help enliven the SIYE creative spark?  I'm comfortable either stepping aside after 2018-2 in deference to new talent, or coaxing things along through the end of this year -- whatever is the right fit for all.

The nominations are closed and the voting is now open for the March Trinkets.

Please vote here - http://www.siye.co.uk/trinkets.php

Winners will be announced on 30th May.

 (Edit - put wrong date, 30th is correct one)

Cosmo (AurorOfTheLight) has alerted us to having seen a cool trailer on the sequel to Fantastic Beasts.  I'm not sure if this is precisely what he saw, but I'm going to post a link to a trailer I found on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5sEaYB4rLFQ

The second edition of the 'Buried Gems' presents you a story probably only a few remember. I found the story three years ago with the help of the 'Random Story' feature in the top right corner of the SIYE main page. For some time this feature seems to be called 'Completed Reads' in the meantime. The title of the story made me curious, 'Light From An Open Window'. I was curious, from whose window the light would shine in the darkness, and who would be attracted by the light. The summary peaked my interest even more, and since the story was not that long, I gave it a try.

Light From An Open Window by seshhat

Summary: A warm summer night, some pensive thinking, a broomstick ride-the beginning of a new friendship and perhaps something more. Harry sees Ginny in a new light, and Ginny falls in love all over again. A night of dark memories, light-hearted conversation, deep understanding, and the glimpse of light peering from a newly opened window. In five parts. Written from the alternating perspectives of Harry and Ginny.

The story was written after OotP and posted on SIYE in 2005 before HBP has been released. It's a story about the problems of two teens in difficult times, and that friendship means to help each other.

To everybody who liked this story, I recommend reading the sequel, 'Light Reflected'.

Tell us about your favourite buried gem. Just send me an email (Gin110881@yahoo.com) with your suggestion and a few lines explaining why you like the story so much and why everybody else here should read it. The story should be complete and preferable posted at SIYE before 2010.  

Today is May 2, 2018, the 20th anniversary of the Battle for Hogwarts.

We celebrate the victory over Lord Voldemort, but we also remember the many students and members of the Order of the Phoenix who fell in the battle.

Despite the destruction and suffering, the Battle for Hogwarts is the first step in a brighter future; the birth of Victoire Weasley is a sign of change as her name is a special symbol of the victory.

Is this day of joy and remembrance also the anniversary of the reunion of Harry and Ginny? I'd like to think so, but only JKR knows for sure.

The first story in the new Buried Gems series is the very first fanfiction story I've ever read. Okay, that's not quite right, it's the second since the first fanfiction story I've ever read was the German translation of this story.

I'm talking about Melindaleo's The Seventh Horcrux.

The Seventh Horcrux continues where HBP ended. The story has been published before DH. To my knowledge, the story was even traded in the internet as the leaked copy of DH. I'm not sure if this is just a legend because I started reading fanfiction about 8 years after The Seventh Horcrux had been released in 2006.

What is The Seventh Horcrux about? I think the summary explains it very well:

The hunt for the Horcruxes begins. Harry has to decide who to trust as he moves closer to fulfilling his destiny. Will he be able to find and destroy all the Horcruxes? And at what price? Will he be able to find the strength within himself "the Power the Dark Lord Knows Not" in order to succeed in vanquishing Voldemort? And, can he do it and still get the girl? Join Harry and his faithful friends on their quest to finally defeat a Dark Lord.

I remember very well that the 'and still get the girl' immediately caught my attention. Would Harry really ask Ginny to take him back?

Why do I like the story so much...and where do I start without giving too much away? 

Well, the first reason is that I think the story is very well written, I immediately felt transported back to the Harry Potter universe. The second reason are the many little loving details that, to my astonishment, had many similarities with things I've read in DH, although the plot is very different from DH. The most important reason, however, is that Ginny plays a much bigger role in The Seventh Horcrux than in DH. 

Of course, there is also a Horcrux hunt in The Seventh Horcrux, and, of course, it is completely different than in DH, which is understandable considering that DH was released later.

I don't want to reveal too much, but (spoiler alert!) in the end Harry wins against Voldemort, and...oh, I can't remember...did he really get the girl?

What do you think about The Seventh Horcrux?

Oh, and please don't hesitate to correct me if I wrote something wrong.

And what is your favourite buried gem? Just send me a PM with a short description of the story.

edit (2nd May 2018):

Since the SIYE PM function sometimes delivers empty messages only, please feel free to send me an email with your suggestions: Gin110881@yahoo.com.

(I promise to use your email addresses only for 'Buried Gems' conversations!)

Hi there,

At GHL's suggestion, I will try to establish a "Buried Gems" feature on SIYE. I'll rummage the SIYE treasure chests for stories written in the early SIYE years. The "Buried Gems" feature is intended to remind the long-time readers of this site of the stories they read many years ago, and help the somewhat newer readers to find some of the old gems buried in the depths of SIYE.

Of course, everyone is invited to suggest his/her favourite story. Just send me a PM with the title of the story, the name of the author, and a few lines with a short description of the story, why you liked it so much, and why you think the others should read it. The suggested stories should have been written before 2010, and they should be complete.

For starters, it is planned to present a story every 4-5 weeks. Dependent on the number of voluntary contributions, I'd consider posting the new edition of the feature sooner. The first edition of the Buried Gems will be released within the next few days.

As previously announced, the topic for Challenge 2018-2 is:  Tis the Valentines feast at Hogwarts, and something is odd.  The pumpkin juice tastes suspiciously good, and all who drink it are behaving strangely.  Uh oh.

Awards will be made for Most Humourous, Most Unexpected, Best Overall, and People's Choice.  Completed stories must be submitted by midnight, July 15, in order for award announcements to be made on August 1.

Please note rules for challenge stories:  submissions must be stand-alone stories that are marked as complete by deadline; stories must be shorter than 20,000 words; R-rated stories are discouraged, and judges are not required to read them.

Finally, please use this space to cast your votes for the 2018-3 challenge topic.  Additional suggestions are highly encouraged (the list could use some freshening) but prior vote-getters include:

1. Years into their marriage, Ginny discovers something surprising about Harry.  Tell us about it.
2. Auntie Muriel announces that she will take her tea at the Burrow next Sunday.  Excuses fly as everyone tries to avoid attending.  Will anyone escape?
3. A debilitating accident brings Harry's and Ginny's hectic schedules to a screeching halt.  How will things change as the couple adjusts to a slow recovery?
4. Harry has never been abroad before. His first trip is with Ginny. Where do they go, and why?
5. Late at night, a hooded stranger appears at Harry's bed and casts a spell.  Another does the same to Ginny.  The mysterious pair meets in the Common Room.  After a kiss, they whisper, "That’s done.  Now, for the great adventure."  What happens next?
6. Times are tense at Grimmauld Place... until Sirius and Lupin start sharing tales of old Marauder Pranks.  Suitably inspired, Harry and/or Ginny (you choose) decide(s) to liven things up with a bit of their own mischief.

Well, Ginny and Harry are found, Molly's blood pressure is subsiding below volcanic levels, and the people have clearly decided that our authours treated us to some wonderful fanfic literature!

Congratulations to all contributors -- every entry received votes for at least some categories and no selection was unanimous.  That said, our champions for 2018-1 are:

Most Romantic:  For Luck by melindaleo
Most Adventuresome:  Odyssey to the Orient by potterfan2008
Best Overall:  Odyssey to the Orient by potterfan2008
People's Choice:  Odyssey to the Orient by potterfan2008

Sincere appreciation to MG, OB, HG and YK for your dilligent evaluations!

And now, on to our voter-selected topic for Challenge 2018-2:

Tis the Valentines feast at Hogwarts, and something is odd.  The pumpkin juice tastes suspiciously good, and all who drink it are behaving strangely.  Uh oh.

The topic was based on a suggestion by Gin110881.  Awards will be made for Most Humourous, Most Unexpected, Best Overall, and People's Choice.  Please stay tuned for a followup announcement in about a week, specifying rules for Challenge 2018-2, and opening the voting process on possible topics for Challenge 2018-3.

After another closely fought battle the results of the February Trinkets are as follows -

Best Comedy

Best Drama

Best Romance

Best One-Shot

Best Completed

Best New Story

The voting is now open for the January 2018 DSTA's

Please vote here - http://www.siye.co.uk/trinkets.php

Winners will be announced on 29th March

Oh my!  Didn't this challenge take us some surprising and unexpected places!  Oh, right.  That was the intention...

In any case, there are six stellar stories to peruse as you, our fine readers, make your People's Choice
selections:

• Wolf portkey by V-L-K
• Odyssey to the Orient by potterfan2008
• A Tale of Two by Aniket Chowdhury
• For Luck by melindaleo
• Escape from Brextwistle Hall by Arnel
• The Legacy of Regulus Black by Gin110881

Please cast a vote for your favourite via http://siye.co.uk/trinkets.php?peopleschoice=Y, and wait upon our illustrious judges with bated breath whilst they make choices for 'Most Adventuresome', 'Most Romantic' and 'Best Overall'.

I'll be back to you all on April 1 with challenge awards, and our topic selection for 2018-2 (which you can all still be voting on too, if you wish).