Wizarding Times

As all badgers already know, HOL crowned the very first Miss Hufflepuff this past fall. It was no surprise to us that the crown went to Head Student/Prefect Cosmo Brown. I was able to catch up with Cosmo in between all her appearances she's been making to get her perceptions on how it feels to be Miss Hufflepuff.

Rorey—Hey, Cosmo! Thanks for taking the time to sit with me for the interview.

Cosmo—Hi, Rorey! So what sort of interview is this?

Rorey—The very easy kind.

Cosmo—Oh, a simple Q&A? Great. Fantastic. I'm ready whenever you are.

Rorey—Great! How does it feel to be the first Ms. Hufflepuff?

Cosmo— Okay, first, not to be technical or anything, but it's on the contract you have to sign when you win: it's Miss Hufflepuff. See? *points to crown* It says so, right there.

Anyway, it feels wonderful to be the first Miss Hufflepuff. I entered as something of a lark, but it was really fun and rewarding, not to mention extremely challenging. I'm proud of what I was able to accomplish, and I hope I can make everyone proud of me.

Rorey— Oh my apologies (quickly rewrites the title of the article). Were you proud of the work you showed in the contest?

Cosmo— Oh, absolutely. I did some things I've never done before, shared some talents I don't always like to share, and I'm certainly proud of how it all turned out. Of course, I think back on it all and notice flaws, where I could have done better, but that's just my perfectionist-side talking. And, really, everyone who participated did such marvelous work; the talent here in Hufflepuff and HOL is astounding. I think everyone had remarkable entries, so the fact that mine were recognized is a great feeling. And, quite frankly, a good ego boost when I'm feeling at sixes and sevens.

Rorey—I know what you mean; I was amazed of the talent that we saw during the contest. Do you have more responsibilities now?

Cosmo—Luckily, the duties of Miss Hufflepuff are similar to some of my prefect and Head Girl duties, so there's a lot of overlap. However, I do find that I have to look more put-together than I might want to. No lounging around in my practice Quidditch robes. (They really are quite comfy on a cold Sunday.)

Rorey—Do you feel you are recognized more when you're walking the corridors?

Cosmo—Yeah, people I think recognize more now than before, which is a little weird. I mean, I've been a Head Girl for four years now, so I've been in the public eye, as it were, for a long time. But, I've gotten very comfortable with confining much of my Head Girl duties to the Head Students' study area, so I've not been as visible a presence as I could have been. Luckily, the Miss HOL contest helped bring me back to the Great Hall more often.

Rorey—Is it really hard to keep the crown clean?

Cosmo—So far, no, but I suspect the diamond sheen polish spell Addie put on it will wear off in another month or two. You know how these spells work: you have to keep reapplying them. Which reminds me, I should try to send an owl after Addie, to see if she can tell me how to do the spell. (I heard it was something she and Kadina cooked up.)

Rorey—How high was your dry cleaning bill after the evening gown round?

Cosmo—Oh, I don't even want to think about that! It was such an ordeal, finding the right gown; I must have gone through at least six collections' worth of Calvin Kappa, Kenneth Troll, and Vera Fang. And that's not even counting the dozen or so smaller designers I talked with. I ended up with about eight gowns to choose from, all of which need careful handling in order to clean. On the plus side, I found some simply stunning gowns for this year's Huffle Oscars, so it's not a wasted effort. (Seriously, folks, if you need styling help, let me know!)

Rorey—Oh, the Oscars! They should be fabulous. What advice would you give to the students who aspire to be the next Miss Hufflepuff?

Cosmo—I would tell those students to work hard, develop their talents, and to just enjoy themselves because it's not about the notoriety or the shiny crown or anything; it's about having a good time doing something you love.

I'd also add this, which is something Conan O'Brien (an American Muggle chat show host) said on his last show: "If you work really hard and you're kind, amazing things will happen." It's really true. Life doesn't always happen the way we think it should, or even will, but hard work and kindness will change you and the world, for the better.

Rorey—Who would have thunk of a Muggle saying something clever. Anything else you would like to say to those who voted for you (and those who may not have)?

Cosmo—Well, to those who voted for me, I can't thank you enough. Participating in this competition was a blast, each round was more engaging than the last, and it may have been some of the most fun I've had in a HOL-wide contest in ages, but I couldn't have gotten where I did without your support. So, thank you.

To those who may not have voted for me, I want to thank you as well. I know how tough it was to vote, so that I didn't earn your support is my failing. Also, knowing that I hadn't won everyone over pushed me to work harder, so thanks for that extra motivation. At the end of the day, I hope we can all come together and support everyone, in Hufflepuff and throughout HOL, regardless of how votes were cast. (And, I hope that my tenure as Miss Hufflepuff will prove to you that I was a good choice, ultimately, to represent Hufflepuff in the contest.)

Rorey—Thanks again for being able to sit and spend some time with me for the Times.

Cosmo—Oh, that's it? Okay. Well, that was fun. You ask some tough questions! Thanks again for the interview!