Archive of Riddles

virginiaelizabeth - Mar 9, 2007 7:14 pm (#1431 of 2986)

And the riddle jumps back to Julie! It is indeed Mrs. Norris!

My eyes are quite good
as I prowl through the night. - The students think Mrs. Norris can see everything, even in the middle of the night, and maybe through invisibility cloaks.

I can tell where you've stood
and I'm usually right. - Cats have a better sense of smell than people do, so they can tell when someone has been around. Bit of a stretch but that made it rhyme!

I have no fear
but was frightened one year. - Mrs. Norris was petrified in CoS. Frightened is another word for petrified.

Most do not like me
though one does adore me. - Everyone hates Mrs. Norris, but Filch loves her.

So watch out, beware
I'm always around - I swear! - She never goes away, and is always around to catch kids when they are up to no good, so you have to watch out for her.

I think that's the most number of guesses I've ever gotten before the right one was guessed! *happy dance*

Take it away Julie!

juliebug - Mar 10, 2007 9:42 am (#1446 of 2986)

In record time I think, PatPat has it. That was my lame attempt at an acrostic poem. The first letter in the first and last word of every line spell Slytherin.

Sometimes, I am very sneaky. - Draco is often sneaking around.
Long have I been the pack leader. - He is the leader of his friends.
You know I'm dismissed for my youthfulness. - Some doubt he's a Death Eater because he's too young.
Those who know me know I'm troubled. - Myrtle knows he cries alone.
Honored others call me hateful. - Oops should have been others, like the trio.
Everyone sees me as elite. - Draco lets everyone know he's rich and well-connected.
Really, you should know, I'm quite resourceful. - He showed cleverness on several occasions, especially HBP.
I have been known to be most inquisitive. - Member of the Inquisitorial Squad.
Nobody knows about my real nightmares. - He has hinted at troubles not yet described in the first 6 books.

Take 'er away PatPat.

Pat Pat - Mar 12, 2007 9:02 am (#1500 of 2986)

Wow! Columbine Fairy nailed both of them. Now you get to do two puzzles at once! It's not easy.

Riddle: Rita Skeeter

I can be clothed in armor - Rita is a beetle as an animagus. Beetles are covered in an exoskeleton, hence "armor"
or even in jewels - Rita wears jeweled glasses
My words can be law - Many people read her columns and take them as truth (e.g. Cornelius Fudge, Amos Diggory)
but I don't follow the rules - Her columns are rarely based on fact
I used to foresee - She used to work for the Daily Prophet. A prophet is someone who can foresee future events

But now I split hairs - Her last column was in the magazine the Quibbler. To split hairs is slang for to quibble
After the trilogy - After the Triwizard Tournament, a trilogy of tasks
I stopped my fine wares - She was forced to stop writing by Hermione. Another definition of "wares" is "a marketable skill" such as writing.

Who or what am I?

Hint #1 Watch what you say. You have to watch what you say around Rita or you may end up in her column. And not in a good way.

Hint #2 An "unlikely drinking mate." (I added the quotes hoping it might help.) When Harry met Hermione in the Three Broomsticks with Luna and Rita, he felt Hermione was sitting with two "unlikely drinking mates." (I don't have my book with me at work so I can't look up the exact wording of the quote.)

Nice job , Columbine Fairy. Sorry, everyone if the riddle was too difficult. It was my first try.

Columbine Fairy - Mar 12, 2007 6:05 pm (#1507 of 2986)

Ha! Yes it is. Gee, I'm glad I didn't spend too much time on it.

(Note: The answer is not stated in this post, and the riddle-creator’s explanation was not available/copied for these archives, unfortunately.)

PatPat - Mar 14, 2007 12:23 pm (#1527 of 2986)

Indeed it is Elanor! Nice job!

I may be long-lived - Crookshanks is part feline, thus has nine lives
or an excellent leader - Crookshanks is part kneazle. Also, kneazles are able to guide their owners to a location
sometimes a stalker - Crookshanks spent most of book 3 stalking and attacking Scabbers
sometimes a mind reader - Kneazles are able to sense when someone is untrustworthy
Trust me or not - Hermione trusted Crookshanks but Ron and even Harry did not
I'll sniff out the facts - Crookshanks knew immediately who Scabbers really was and knew that Sirius was no dog
I'll even be useful
when you thought you needed an axe. - Crookshanks was able to help Hermione and Harry get into the hole beneath the Whomping Willow

Nice job, again, Elanor. Riddle is over to you. (And I don't mean Tom. Hee Hee)

Elanor - Mar 17, 2007 12:44 pm (#1578 of 2986)

Congratulations Azi! It was Honeydukes indeed!

Here is the explanation of the clues:

Grace can be my name, - A duke is called "His Grace"
My dear friend Dumbledore would agree. - Dumbledore does like sweets and it was also a nod towards the (bumble)bee for "honey"
Here is my quest: - Duke's etymology is "leader" and to reach Honeydukes is Harry's "quest", in PoA, after the twins gave him the Marauder's Map.
A liquid gold fight, - "liquid gold" was for "honey" and "dukes" also means fists "raised in a fighting attitude" (Oxford Dict.)
Earthy hidden treasures, - To reach Honeydukes' "treasures", Harry has to go under the earth, in the secret passage, and the shop's "treasure"/stock is in a cellar.
Fire to breathe, - A reference to some sweets you find at Honeydukes: "breathe fire for your friends" (PoA, p.147)
And soaring charms. - The "levitating sherbet balls" (PoA, p.147)

Clue 1: I am not a person.

Clue 2: Among all the answers that have been proposed so far, Slughorn is the more likely to put you on the right path to the answer... Slughorn does like sweets and receives "a hamper every birthday" (HBP, p.71) from Ambrosius Flume, who owns Honeydukes.

Clue 3: Felix Felicis, Oak Matured Mead... Any more nectars you can think of?

Clue 4: The "nectar" is not the answer, just a clue related to the answer. It was a nod towards Ambrosius Flume since "ambrosia", as "nectar", was the food of the gods.

Clue 5: A taste of love. For "Honey"!

Next riddle is all yours Azi!

azi - Mar 17, 2007 4:31 pm (#1585 of 2986)

Well done PatPat, you've got it!

I think it's pretty self-explanatory, but anyway.

Colours, sights, sounds, smells
People, places, shouts, yells
Think to when Harry first visits the alley in PS, great description there.
At least there used to be...
It's a bit quiet there now, with Voldemort around.

PatPat - Mar 18, 2007 6:29 am (#1591 of 2986)

You got it, Puck! I'm going to have to start making these harder!

On Olympus I began - Centaurs were said to have originated in Greece (FB)

I do Tell - This had a double meaning. Firenze has given the trio information on several occasions. It's also a reference to William Tell as centaurs are archers.

Twice I’ve found myself
Needing to rebel - Firenze rebelled against his herd twice. Once in PS when he allowed Harry to ride to safety on his back and once in HBP when he agreed to teach for Dumbledore.

I observe the storm gathering - Firenze observed the coming wars in the constellations, a gathering of stars

Enemies come from kin - His herd became his ememies and almost killed him in HBP

From my former nature - From his former home in the forest

I am now within - He is now residing within the castle

Over to you now Puck!

Puck - Mar 18, 2007 4:32 pm (#1607 of 2986)

And the riddle goes back to you, PatPat!

It was, indeed, Harry and LV's wands!

Where great magic starts - You need a wand for most control magic
Is a matter of heart. - The heart being the core.
Each found a new pair - Harry and LV were each paired with a wand
The connection still there. - The wands are still "brothers" and connect in a unique way.

Great work! Take it away!

PatPat - Mar 19, 2007 6:32 pm (#1644 of 2986)

You got it, Puck!! It is the cave where the locket was hidden. (You're correct Columbine Fairy, I DID miss the diary guess earlier. 1000 apologies, Lina!)

Evil young and old
I have seen Voldemort – (evil) visited the cave when he was a child and when he was an adult

Emerald within velvet -JKR describes the cave as having "velvety blackness" but there was a greenish glow from the basin containing the locket

Protected by the unseen - the "unseen" inferi under the water

Give me your life - In order to get in and out of the cave, "life" blood was required as payment

and find more strife - Once Harry and Dumbledore were able to get into the cave they found only more challenges and not what they were looking for.

Clue #1: It takes two It took two people to get past the enchantments in the cave

Informal Clue: Of Slughorn and Voldemort, Voldemort is in the correct area meaning the correct PLACE. Clue that the answer to the riddle was a place that Voldemort had been

Informal Clue 2: Not the Slytherin locket either, Audrey, but stay in that vicinity. Another place clue. Stay in the vicinity of where the locket was found.

Great job, Puck!! I look forward to your new riddle!

Puck - Mar 21, 2007 1:01 pm (#1675 of 2986)

Haymoni, you got it! It's Hagrid's pockets. They are deep, dark inside, and hold lots of interesting stuff. He's the Keeper of the Keys, and is definitely brave and strong!

haymoni - Mar 23, 2007 12:56 pm (#1725 of 2986)

Yes!!!! Way to go, juliebug!!!!

It is Aberforth!

He has a head - (the Hogshead)
He could be smart - we just haven't seen it yet.
He is a bit weird - we just don't know about that whole goat thing!
Who am I? Read all about it. - Dumbledore wasn't sure that he could read, but we can!

Nice job - and all before I left work!

juliebug - Mar 24, 2007 4:03 am (#1742 of 2986)

Columbine Fairy has the riddle too. It is metamorph medals.

Worries got you in a vice?
I can help you, for a price. - The medals were sold to frightened people
Scared you've got no place to hide?
I can help you face outside. - The medals altered people’s faces.
One thousand uses, but just one fee. - It boasted a thousand disguises.
Try me out and you will see.
We're all unique, so looks can vary. - Or at least they are supposed to.
And the side effects are temporary. - With a little Ministry help, the orange skin does go away.

Columbine Fairy - Mar 26, 2007 3:14 am (#1766 of 2986)

Yes, Luna, it is indeed the fat lady!

Though lacking full form I may be - She's a picture

There's more to me than what you see. - Behind her portrait is the entire Gryffindor Tower

Of all the treasures that have been, - this refers to the Gryffindor students - parents often call their children "little treasures"

I guard them all, - she is the only thing protecting all the Gryffindors from potential invaders to their tower.

Seen and unseen - how many times have Harry, James and Co been through the portrait hole in the invisibility cloak?

I have no army by my side,
No weapon or special powers.
Though perhaps a level of luck, - her corridor is on the 7th floor - 7 is reputed to be a lucky number

And a friend among the flowers. - refers to her friend Violet, who keeps her up to date on all the gossip around the school.

Well done, Luna! Over to you...

Luna Logic - Mar 26, 2007 10:27 am (#1776 of 2986)
Edited by Mar 26, 2007 10:30 am

Not the Whomping Willow, Nick!

Some more guesses and I will try to give a little "help"?

edit: Elanor has it! Norbert the Norwegian Ridgeback himself!

Elanor - Mar 28, 2007 9:05 pm (#1820 of 2986)

Congrats Troels, it was Cheering Charms indeed!

Here is the explanation of the riddle:

You missed me
But you should have wished
I had not missed you.
As Troels said, it was a reference to Hermione missing Cheering Charms in PoA and to the fact that a bit later Ron says "She could've done with a Cheering Charm on her too".

Too much of me some say
But complained not,
It was a reference to Charms exam in PoA when, casting a Cheering Charm, "Harry slightly overdid his out of nerves and Ron, who was partnering him, ended up in fits of hysterical laughter and had to be led away to a quiet room for an hour before he was ready to perform the Charm himself." (p.233)

Too much is never enough!
Ok, that was only IMHO, we all can do with Cheering Charms, can't we? "The more the merrier" as would say Sirius!

See double, they'll rise high
If you know who or what I am...
The bad pun was in "see double", which gives phonetically "C double" for Cheering Charm.
"They" was for "spirits" which "rise" or are "high" when a Cheering Charm is cast!

Next riddle is all yours Troels!

Troels Forchhammer - Mar 30, 2007 12:23 pm (#1856 of 2986)

Sure thing, Audrey - I've never yet shirked at a chance to show off my wit

My first, according
to old established rules
for homophonic riddling
is not exactly unlike
most inquisitive nosing.
The first is ‘Pri’. The old established rules refer to the sphinx's riddle in GoF, where the ‘spi-’ of ‘spider’ is guessed by a clue to ‘spy’.
In the same way, I here gave a clue to ‘pry’ (as in prying into other people's affairs) to explain ‘pri-’.

My second is undecided; - This is, of course, for ‘or’ (the logical disjunction).

the characteristic of my third
is that which isn't there.
A bit of a cheat, perhaps, this was meant to refer to the space between the two words

My fourth isn't foul,
I considered using ‘isn't out’; at first, but I thought that would be too easy a clue for ‘in’, so I decided to go for the reference to e.g. tennis where a ball that isn't ‘in’ is a foul.

and my fifth is able. - The fifth is ‘can’, which is able to suggest ability

My sixth and last is healthy
a real common vegetable
served, mind you, without
impure Italian water.
OK, apart from the rather cheap dig at the Italian river Po (which I don't actually know to be any more polluted than other waters), I had to reach in order to find something to suggest ‘tato’. Neither particularly original or clever, but at least it worked

My whole will tell past secrets
you might rather not disclose.
And of course ‘Prior Incantato’ is the incantation for the spell that will reveal the last spell cast by a wand: a secret some wizards might prefer to keep just that.

Elanor - Mar 30, 2007 8:50 pm (#1871 of 2986)

Congratulations Lina, it was the Sphinx indeed!

No tongue-in-cheek! - A sphinx is not kidding, answer well or, in mythology, it'll kill you!

In my field,
Which is also yours,
I am a master. - Your "field" here is the riddle and the Sphinx is a riddle master.

Padding along a deadly path, - "padding along" was a reference to the sphinx having the body of a lion, and "deadly path" because of how dangerous the sphinx is and also because in GoF, it is on Harry's path which is indeed a "deadly" one since it leads him to the graveyard scene.

Unless I flee into the night. - "Sphinx" is also the name of a moth.

Find me and find more,
But I will say no more...
Harry, in the maze, first has to find the Sphinx and then he has to find the answer to its riddle. The sphinx, however, will say nothing more than repeat its riddle.

Next riddle is all yours Lina!

Thanks for the explanation of the clues Troels! I would have never found the "space" one!

Lina - Mar 31, 2007 6:19 am (#1876 of 2986)

LOL, Anna, thank you for comforting me. It is indeed the DIGS theory. And it was really fast. Congratulations! The curse of the riddle is yours now. Does anybody think that it needs explanation, except for saying that the "big amount" is there only in attempt to make rhyme?

Anna L. Black - Apr 1, 2007 12:16 pm (#1897 of 2986)

Audrey, you're right! It is Tom, the barman of the Leaky Cauldron.

My name is like the name of this riddle, - His name, Tom, is like Tom Riddle's name
Simple, short and well known. - A hint towards Riddle's reaction to the name Tom, and also a description of the name itself
Write two, add one uncertainty, - "Two" sounds like "To", and 'M' sounds like "Emmmm...", which is a sound of uncertainty - together Tom
I'll make you feel just at home. - Well, he made Harry feel very comfortable in PoA, didn't he?

Elanor - Apr 3, 2007 10:47 am (#1928 of 2986)

You have it, Haymoni! It was the Bloody baron indeed! Congrats!

He is "Lofty", "Influential" because Peeves obeys him only, "Deathly" as the ghost he is, "Hollow" because he is the Slytherin ghost so his house in "Hollow", underground, "Resonated" because his favorite pastime is "groaning and clanking up on the astronomy tower" according to Nearly Headless Nick. "Imitated" was, as you said, because Harry imitates him in PS/SS.

Next riddle is all yours!

haymoni - Apr 4, 2007 9:54 am (#1945 of 2986)

Very good, Phelim - it is indeed Fang.

His name makes him sharp, but I'm sure he's soft & furry.

He seems to be a scary dog (well, at least Book-Fang appears to be scary), but Hagrid says that he is a coward.

Nice job! The Riddle is yours!

Phelim Mcintyre - Apr 8, 2007 8:29 am (#1969 of 2986)

Yes Anna L Black it is Florence.

Florence was the cow in the children's programme Magic Roundabout. Florence is an Italian city. Florentine is derived from the word Florence and in culinary terms refers to a cheese and spinach sauce.

The second clue is a line from the song “Memory” - which the pensive stores.

Take it away Anna. Oh yes, the person Florence was kissing was named Roger.

Anna L. Black - Apr 8, 2007 1:33 pm (#1973 of 2986)
Edited Apr 8, 2007 2:34 pm

Well, that was quick. Yes, it is Severus Snape -

If you've seen what my end is, - This line together with the next is a clue by itself, and this line is also a clue to look at the last letters of every line
You must have read Book Seven. - Because nobody (except for those who read DH, them lucky people) knows what is his endgame and/or whether he'll live or die.
Now, a persona-non-grata - He's obviously that for the Order and in Hogwarts
To those who don't know where I stop. - And the Order also doesn't know how far he will go...

What am I or what is my name? - This line is part of the riddle

Caius, it's all yours!

Edit: Oh, wow, I managed to get all the colors/bold tags in the right order, what an achievement...

Caius Iulius - Apr 9, 2007 2:53 pm (#1984 of 2986)
Edited Apr 9, 2007 3:54 pm

Sorry, Elanor, but the answer isn't Lupin, though I like the answer.

Lina, yes, Fawkes is correct.

Fawkes is multi-coloured (or red and gold at least), is both young and old, and it is unknown whether Fawkes will be seen in Deathly Hallows; I hope so.

Well done, Lina, your turn now.