Issue #135 - Golden Jubilee Ball Crawl

[Witch Weekly]

  

[Witch Weekly]

A little extra energy never hurt!

Invigoration Draught Recipe With the kick off of the season, attending all of those social events can take a toll on your energy! Here's how to brew the perfect pick-me-up to get you through any ball! Ingredients 2 cups stewed mandrake 20 drops essence of peppermint 1 tablespoon ground Eleuthero Root 1/4 cup armadillo bile brewed tea - optional Directions Slices of mandrake root need to be stewed for twenty four hours ahead of time in warm, but not boiling water. Using 2 cups of the stewed mandrake, strain and mash slices. Reserve liquid. Bring cauldron to a boil, add stew liquid and mashed mandrake. Stir clockwise 12 times, add half the peppermint. Stir another 12 times counterclockwise and then add the rest of the peppermint. Let simmer for 15 minutes. Watch for large bubbles forming on the surface. Be sure to pop any that threaten to spill over. Remove from heat and stir in armadillo bile. Let cool, add to tea if desired, otherwise drink straight before you leave the house and you'll have energy all night!

  

[Witch Weekly]

Debutantes abound this time of year, so at what age should a young lady enter society?

How Young Is Too Young? With the Hogwarts Coming Out Ball over and private balls planned for the entire summer, Witch Weekly is left to wonder when it comes to debuting – how young is too young? This year’s one of the Hogwarts first years, was so eager to break into society that she broke into the ball and at only 12 she is considered by most to be entirely too young to debut properly. With the rigours and demands of debutant life, the late balls, and general physical demands on the modern debutante it would be both impractical and indeed a little cruel to expect a child barely, out of their first year at Hogwarts to keep pace with the older and more experienced girls. That is not to say that young debuts are not at all possible. Where the young lady is orphaned, or otherwise without parental guidance it can be useful for a guardian to debut a girl in order to find a suitable match for her, then her future nuptial family can play a greater role in her development and guide her marital and social expectations. At what age is a young lady a benefit to society? Alternatively, many young ladies of notable rank and birth have made early debuts, and indeed early marriages. This can be of benefit where the gentleman has specific or particular pressure to produce a male heir and as such wishes to give their family the longest possible opportunity to produce successful and healthy male issue. Lady Constance Henrietta (1831 to 1878), daughter of the 2nd Marquess of Anglesey, married George Finch-Hatton, 11th Earl of Winchilsea in 1846, when she was aged 15, and was only 13 when she debuted. While Lady Louisa Thynne (1808 to 1857), daughter of the 2nd Marquess of Bath, married Henry Lascelles, 3rd Earl of Herewood in 1823, when she was aged 15. She had thirteen children during her short life and even shorter marriage, and of course Lady Agnes Georgiana Elizabeth Hay (1829 to present) daughter of the 18th Earl of Errol, married James Duff, 5th Earl Fife in March 1846, when she was aged 16, and with whom she had six children. In essence the early debut, and the young debutant appear to a hallmark of the nobility, and while the Humphrey-Mavis’s have the good grace, and sense not to marry their daughters of as mere children, the muggle nobility do not seem to similarly inclined. 50 years ago, the average age of an society bride was 19 years old; today the average age stands at about 21 years of age. So while 12 might have been only a little precocious during Her Majesty’s early reign, and even acceptable during the Regency where many girls as young as twelve were fully out in society, indeed Her Majesty’s eldest daughter was engaged at fourteen, married at seventeen, 12 is much too young to be debuting in either a public or a private ceremony.

  

[Witch Weekly]

Multiple balls in one night may be common, but rarely do we see such extravagance and varied entertainment!

Golden Jubilee Ball Crawl The celebrations for the Golden Jubilee were certainly varied, and the magical community seems to have pulled out all the stops in light of the recent reconciliation to celebrate in truly magical style. Despite the evening being magically elongated, it would only have been those amongst us with the most endurance who would have seen all the festivities, so we have compiled a list of highlights and misshaps! It is perhaps fitting to start with the ball that would have been their very first ball for many attendees- the Carmichael’s ball in miniature style for children. No expense seemed to have been spared in the children’s dresses, and the refreshments on offer were perfectly fitting to allow the littlest members of society to feel like they were grown up- we particularly liked the lemonade in unbreakable champagne glasses! The touch of providing transport home would no doubt have been appreciated by the children’s parents. Proof that Hogsmeade’s shop owners aren’t all work and no fun, the cheapside ball for business owners went off without a hitch and highlighted the best of Hogsmeade’s tradespeople. Similarly sensible was the rare ball provided for the poorer amongst us- a fine chance for even the humblest to revel in the festivities. Lord and Lady Esterwick’s rooftop party may have contained a ball, but no doubt the roof was the main draw. Very few attendees seemed to have tried the new treat of cocktails before, but we are sure we will be seeing similar attractions around very soon! A hall of mirrors with a twist- very little else is needed to describe the ball in question, and we are sure nobody missed it- despite maybe wishing they had, for not all the effects were that flattering! The Lytton’s reputation for pushing the boundaries of what charmed fashion is capable of doing extended to their ball. Whilst the woodland decorations were tasteful but not original, the magical waterballoons were an inspired touch and added to the unpredictability of the evening! In a far more traditional sense of eccentricity, Barry Wee Willie Winkle’s ball was exactly that! Filled with curiosities, it is remarkable any attendees found time to dance- though it seemed discussing the hippopotamus in too much detail saw the offending person summarily magically ejected. Aside from an Erkling escape, it was a great success! The only muggle ball of the evening was perhaps overshadowed by the magical counterparts- and we are sad to report that the Queen did not make an appearance as rumoured. The host did prove to be a rather good shot, but less so after several bottles of champagne were downed. The matchmaking ball was perhaps the most detaining of them all, for guests found themselves unable to leave unless they completed a dance card- a task rather hard for many more conservative guests. Still, the evening was rather tasteful, if liberal, in atmosphere. In a rare appearance of the withdrawn young bachelor, Mr Fontaine’s ball was distinctly but unsurprisingly egyptian in theme. Aside from a slight mix-up involving period garb, we are pleased to report the sphynx claimed no casualties.

  

[Witch Weekly]

With so many events going on this month, it's no wonder it's also been a very busy month for gossip!

Talk From Around Town Of course you heard that the Minister is engaged to Miss Lovegood--well, rumor has it they weren't ever even courting at all! The whole thing has been quite rushed, don't you agree? I heard that the entire thing was arranged, due to that large dowry we've all heard so much about, but the Minister wanted to make it look like a normal courtship and engagement to avoid the scandal of marrying a woman just for her money! Cassius Lestrange broke his hand at the end of the last Cannons match! They said he was terribly distracted the entire game... maybe it has something to do with their missing chaser, Miss Blackwood? The Carrows were adamant about the cemetery being closed during Sterling Carrow's funeral. Do you think they were anxious to keep Miss Carrow out of the public eye, after the way she reacted to his death? Miss Ophelia Dippet seemed quite attached to a particular Quidditch sponsor this month--is she finally courting, or just dropping some very heavy hints? Mr. Marcus Lytton was wearing a leopard-print suit the entire night of the Queen's Jubilee! Is that going to be the new fashion, do you think, or was he just trying to be thematic, with the ball being set in a forest? Miss Belvina Black had her first sign of magic exactly on her first birthday--if that's not an auspicious sign, I couldn't say what is! Were you at Mr. Winkle's ball when those two guests were thrown out by the spell? Someone nearby said that one of them had gotten splinched! There was a bloody hand print left on the hippocampus tank! I hope they got to a hospital!

  

[Witch Weekly]