My Horcrux Adventure with Steampunk Addie

I've been friends with Steampunk Addie's Momma for more than 30 years. So, when the HPKCHC assignment for Muggle Studies was to make a doll or something for a doll... I knew just who to ask for help.

I first met Addie in person at Comicon, when we ran into a future friend of hers, Han Solo.  (Addie is a time traveler!) 

But I digress... a few more details on my June assignments at Hogwarts are important too.  There are 8 classes each month at Hogwarts.  There is also Detention, where you can turn in late homework, and Quidditch, where projects are purely extracurricular.  Enough to keep any crocheter busy, right?  Except this month, Quidditch is "Hallows OR Horcruxes", pick one or the other.  Who can do that?  I just had to do both.

Since I can only pick one for Quidditch credit, I decided to work the other into regular class assignments for credit there.  This means that not only did I have to follow each class requirement, but also the quidditch requirement at the same time.  7 horcruxes plus something for Addie in Muggle Studies meant 8 projects for 8 classes.   Perfect.  Then I had to tie them together... so I did the horcrux projects in the order we find them in Harry's story, and then asked Addie to help me present them to each professor.

Here are the class assignments I had to match up with horcruxes:
Charms - follow directions, complete a pattern exactly as written without any changes
History of Magic - make something to help with a TriWizard tournament task
Herbology - create a piece of inappropriate jewelry (not obscene, just weird!)
Divination - make something that uses both negative and positive spaces
Care of Magical Creatures - make something jeweled
Transfiguration - use scissors to transform something, reduce, reuse, recycle!
Defense Against the Dark Arts - something that reveals truth about your character
Muggle Studies - make a doll or something for a doll

... and here's what I did!
My Horcrux Adventure with Steampunk Addie

I was recently put in touch with time traveler Steampunk Addie.  It seems in her travels she came across a reference to “It All Ends 7.15”.  She knows little about the wizarding world, so the Ministry of Magic put her in touch with me.  As a fellow time traveler (I have to get to all my classes!) I already have a basic understanding of her restrictions and concerns.



Since there is so much for her to learn before It All Ends, I got her started right away with some very important books.  Her main concern is that because time travel by its nature is so very precise, any objects she takes with her must also be precise… errors are magnified by traveling though the fabric of time.  I therefore endeavored to create a book bag for her that not only utilized the exact materials called for, but was made to the precise specifications outlined.  No changes or errors could be made, or the outcome could be catastrophic.  She seems pleased with my work, and took it with her.  I hope it worked alright!

On her next visit to me, Steampunk Addie asked about the Triwizard Tournament.  She was concerned that there was a fatality during the most recent tournament.  I did not want to alarm her, so I explained that it has happened on occasion (although not as a result of You Know Who!).  She seemed satisfied with my explanation, so I showed her my latest invention.

The Marauder’s Map gave me an idea about charming objects, and Harry Potter’s use of ‘accio’ during the tournament of 1994 gave me another.  I like to do everything completely above board, I would never cheat at a tournament… but I do get nervous and forgetful when there are tests.  So, I charmed these gloves to function like muggle ‘wiki’ with the answers appearing on the back of the glove!  When a task begins, I ‘accio gloves’ and just put them on to activate them.  I have The Standard Book of Spells, Neville’s Notes on Helpful Herbs, and several other texts preloaded. As you can see, I also made the fingertips adjustable so I could still maintain a good grip on my wand.  I can hardly wait for the next tournament.  Addie says she’ll travel back to watch! 

I noticed that Addie wears some unusual jewelry and so I asked her about it.  They each have special personal meaning for her, and I enjoyed listening to her stories.  She asked whether there was any unusual jewelry in the wizarding world and I told her about the most unusual jewelry I had ever heard about (aside from my friend Luna’s quirky taste of course!  Luna showed me how to make a nargle repelling necklace once, but that’s a story for another day).

Years and years ago, there was a locket marked with a snake in the shape of an “S” for Salazar Slytherin.  Normal enough on its own… but once You Know Who got hold of it, it turned very strange indeed.  Can you believe that he put a piece of his own soul into it?  And people actually WORE it?  I heard a nasty witch who was in charge of muggle interrogations at the time wore it quite comfortably, but it’s no wonder to me why Harry Potter still tells of the nightmarish things that happened when he and his friends took turns wearing it for safekeeping.  I bet they were so relieved when it was destroyed by the sword of Godric Gryffindor!

This prompted Addie to ask about the other founders of Hogwarts.  I told her about the four, and how each one has a unique personality that is also reflected in their ‘house’ which is a Hogwart’s student family.  She thought it was very interesting as in her day only the very rich get to attend boarding schools.

Her favorite was Helga Hufflepuff because she was so accepting and loyal, a lot like Addie’s Momma.  In Addie’s experience, those are very admirable qualities.  I showed her the Hufflepuff Cup, and she thought it was fantastic, as well as my own Hufflepuff inspired yellow and black tea cup.  She wondered how I could actually drink tea from this cup but I explained that the space in between the design was actually just as important as the design itself and they both worked together to make a whole cup.  I think she wants one of her own!

In Addie’s time, most people didn’t have a lot of jewels.  Many had important family jewelry like wedding bands or their grandmother’s cameo.  Addie showed me a special cameo her Momma gave her.

Continuing our conversation about the Hogwarts founders, I told her the story of the Grey Lady and Rowena Ravenclaw’s diadem.  She liked the idea that it would bring wisdom to the wearer and said she could have used it several times while devising plans on the Underground Railroad.  She didn’t understand how a daughter could steal one of her Momma’s treasures though.

We created this crown of leaves and mayflowers in hopes it will bring a special sort of wisdom about nature and the rhythm of life to the wearer.  Whether they are flowers or fire crabs, all parts of nature are just as precious as jewels!

On her next visit with me, Addie had some very direct questions about He Who Must Not be Named.  She’s read many of the books I lent to her and was quite upset about the people killed by him and his Death Eaters.  She was particular upset about the way he used Nagini, because she loves animals – all animals, even the seemingly creepy ones.

She thought You Know Who must be quite evil indeed to take advantage of one of earth’s creatures so easily.  I explained her that not everyone feels that way about the world, or about snakes.  I told her all about the Order of the Phoenix, showed her the reusable shopping bags I use instead of the ones available at the market and we talked about plarn, tarn and other ways to reduce, reuse and recycle.  She didn’t know what tarn was, so I showed her how to make it out of a t shirt that would have otherwise ended up in a landfill (because it was too stained to be donated to someone else).  We used the tarn to make her very own Nagini!

“It All Ends 7.15” is coming closer and closer and my time traveling friend Steampunk Addie stopped by for one last visit today.  She understands now why it has to end one way or another.  Having read all the books I lent to her, she understands more about Harry’s hero’s journey and Voldemort’s ambition driven by his lack of love and friendship.

We agreed that our ability to love and be loved, have friends and be a friend plays a huge part in defining how we see ourselves as well as how we interact with the world around us.  She said back in the 1940’s she met a very nice old man named Clarence, and he told her that “No man is a failure who has friends.”  It certainly was true for Harry Potter, and it’s true for me too!

After all the reading, deep discussions about “It All Ends 071511”, and time traveling with Steampunk Addie in such a short period, I recommended she take a break. Nothing goes better with a good book than a summer day by the sea. While she was packing, she stopped to model the new bathing costume I made for her. Her Momma says it’s a little quirky for her time, but Addie likes to break the mold. I need to introduce her to Luna soon!