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Plano Hogwarts is a wonderful online community for all fans of Harry Potter, JK Rowling, and the magic world she has created for us. Unlike most Hogwarts communities, this one does not require you to role-play. So, you can enjoy everything Plano Hogwarts has to offer by just being yourself!

PH has everything from JK Rowling's Hogwarts. From classes to Quidditch, sorting to even a DA, we've got it all! Among the usual, there are many other activities here for fans. There are games, various RPGs, contests, and discussions about anything you can imagine! You might even find yourself hunting for a certain Sorcerer's Stone, or participating in Triwizard Tournaments, or...who knows? =)

The staff and students here are some of the most wonderful people you could meet. Once you join, you'll make some great friends here, guaranteed.

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Hey everyone.

I don't know where to begin, really. I don't even know what I mean to say, except that I just really, really want to say something to everyone here.

I love all of you. I love Plano Hogwarts and all its memories.
I think that's why I disappeared.

I had so many ideas, so many things I wanted to do. But something kept happening, arguments kept coming up, and I was getting increasingly frustrated. Real life took over, and I had so, so little time to be here. Eventually, I felt like I didn't know things about this place. PH is my baby...I watched it grow, managed it during its toughest moments, and I knew every little thing about this place. I recognized every name that I sorted, got to know so many amazing people like you, and I could literally feel this place change and grow. It's the weirdest thing, trust me. But suddenly, I didn't know everything. Things happened around PH, and I couldn't fix it anymore. That lack of control...that's what got to me. It's like PH hit teenage life with all its secrets and drama, and I'm the mommy still trying to hold on to the younger PH I knew so well.

I know you all have always been there for PH, but I just never felt the unified support I needed to make this place survive. I'm not upset or anything, I'm just explaining why I became so frustrated. I understood the arguments, saw both sides, but at the end of the day, mostly thanks to this being an online community, I couldn't do a whole lot. We don't know each other well enough to trust each other completely, forgive and understand, and all that important stuff that helps us get through tough times. I thought a 'leadership' thing could fix that, but even after suggesting the idea, there was too much skepticism, too much bad blood between people, for that to work. I guess I lost hope really fast.


And at the end of the day....it's nearly 2010. The last Potter book came out in 2007. I'm in my third year of college, and I'm doing way more than is physically possible, and it's freaking intense.
Basically, life happens. And no matter how much I try to do everything, I can't--I don't have a time-turner, I'm not Hermione, and I'm certainly not Dumbledore.


So, put all that together: PH changing so much, lack of trust and understanding, and real life becoming so intense....and well, I hope you can understand why I disappeared. It's still so wrong, and I should have posted something weeks ago, I know. But I couldn't put it to words until now.

I still love this place. I have the craziest memories here, and I've met the coolest people. And for every single one of you, I wish I could just say 'ennervate' and bring this place back to life. For those of you who are new, I wish you could have seen PH when it was warm and inviting, full of that Potter spirit.

I'm not saying "I give up", because I'm horrible at that haha. I tend to hang on to things as long as I can, even if I should give up. But I do have to be practical, and that means understanding that I literally don't have the time or brainpower to lead this place like I used to. Does that mean PH is over? Absolutely not. I mean, hah, its hosting is paid until summer 2011, so you've got it until at least then! And seriously, all of YOU make it what it is. If you want Quidditch, you just be here to play, and you've got Quidditch. If you want to talk, the forums are here. These days, this place is all about friendship and support, and there's no way I could ever shut that down.


I've heard suggestions about a new HM, or a deputy HM, to help revive PH. Honestly, I've been on a lookout for a deputy HM for years now. It would be just AMAZING to have another hand. But, I don't know anyone who is willing or able to take that position. Okay, a few of you might jump at the chance of being deputy HM. But do you know what that means?
Every single one of you can up and leave PH whenever you want. You'll be missed, and we'd all want you back, and we might even force you to come back lol. But at the end of the day, you have the ability to leave.
An HM? Not so much. You own this place. Everyone looks to you to keep it going, and you know that if you go permanently, this place is gone...huge emotional ties, not to mention financial ties. Plus--and the biggest concern--you've got to be the most diplomatic person ever. I mean, Hufflepuff to the MAX. You're in every house, you're everyone's friend, and you've always got to watch what you say. It's a wonderful thing, and I absolutely LOVE it. But not everyone would like it, and not everyone can do it.
In short, a deputy HM would have to be someone who'd swear to be impartial and help PH no matter what, down to the moment when s/he helps me close this place, whenever that moment comes. So now, who is up for that job? If I left, could I give PH to you to keep it going?

So, those are my thoughts on that. I'm 100% open to a deputy HM. I just haven't found a candidate.


I'll stop rambling now...I just wanted to put my thoughts out there. And one more thing...

I MISS YOU ALL SO MUCH!!! LYK OMG.


I'm still here--floating around, I suppose. Maybe I'm waiting for something magical that will make me go "AHA, here's how I can revive PH!!"
But until then...and until this crazy semester of academic hell ends, I'm afraid I won't be online much. Feel free to email me or IM me...I promise I'll respond this time. I was being stupid earlier because I just felt so BAD for leaving PH and for not having the solutions at hand. I'm so, so, SO sorry for that. But that's done now, I'm out of my little hidey-hole or whatever. Please talk to me if you want, PH or non-PH. I really do miss you all. <3

Lots and lots of love,
HM Shivani

The upcoming Fall 2009 Term will NOT begin until after the following have occurred:

- PH Urgent Assembly
- Leadership Team Review
- General Cleanup of PH

For this reason, a start date cannot be posted. Details on this will probably be discussed (directly or indirectly) during the assembly this Sunday.

Thank you all for your patience!

New members, I encourage you to use this 'break' time to get to know PH and its members! This 'break' only means that classes aren't being held. All other PH activities are still ongoing.

PH needs to come together. After a very trying summer, it's crucial that we all meet to figure out what PH is all about, what each person's role is, and where we plan to go from here.

This meeting is a school-wide "assembly". Everyone is welcome, and everyone should contribute. It's absolutely essential that you make it, if you have any kind of interest in PH's future.



The meeting will be on Sunday,September 13th, at 10am CST (11am EST, 3pm GMT). Visit the following link to find the meeting time in your timezone:
http://www.worldtimeserver.com/convert_time_in_US-TX.aspx?y=2009&mo=9&d=13&h=10&mn=0

Even if you can not go to the meeting, PLEASE post your answers to the questions below, along with your one thought/idea.

Quote:

 

What is your role in PH, as you see it?
What do you think others expect from you?
When you first joined, what did you want/expect from PH?
Now, what do you want/expect as a PH member?

Please be very honest in your answers. It is more or less a survey, and it will help us immensely.

An agenda will be posted shortly.

Thank you all so much!

After some recent events, I want to stress some very important things here on PH.

This is an open site. Anyone can join. Therefore, I highly advise against sharing personal information, particularly contact information, on any PH outlet. This includes every single forum, PMs, the main castle, and the chatrooms.
If you want to share such information, do so through your email addresses, or anything else outside of PH.

Why? Beyond common sense, here are some crucial things to consider:

- The Parachat chatrooms we use for 'By the Fireplace' chats and for Quidditch are not protected. ANYONE can impersonate anyone else, just by entering a different name and acting like that person. Therefore, sharing information on that is absolutely unsafe.
- PMs are relatively safe, since no one else can read them. But a forum messaging system is not the most foolproof system, so I would advise using something more secure like your personal email.
- Anyone can join PH. While I highly doubt anyone dangerous is currently an active member, pretending that's not possible is foolish. Therefore, please be very careful before trusting another member with personal contact information.

Lastly, if you feel there is a safety issue--a member pressures you for contact information, you discover someone has impersonated someone else on the forums, etc.--PM me immediately. It may be harmless, but I need to be informed when any member feels unsafe or uncomfortable.