Commerce in Hogwarts Down Governors Bewildered
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizard reports a surprising decrease in the number of sales from their on-campus store.
Young witches and wizards alike have been purchasing they house apparel from the school store for generations. But over the course of this school term, Headmistress Minerva McGonagall reports an alarming decline in sales. The school’s Board of Governors were very concerned about this hit button issue from the agenda of last week’s meeting.
Funding from the school store goes towards several funds needed to keep the school functioning normally, and without that funding, many students may see some of their favorite activities suspended, or even disbanded indefinitely.
The Governors have opened their own investigation into this issue and have made it a priority to find a resolution as quickly as possible.
The School Governors have as of this morning received a report on an independent investigation performed by the staff here at the Prophet which sites the main cause of the declining sales.
Many of the students and family members are buying their apparel from different vendors, many of which have seemingly popped up overnight. The merchandise being sold by the vendors are almost identical to the official Hogwarts merchandise sold on Hogwarts grounds and far more inexpensive.
We have purchased our fair share of items from multiple vendors and have found minor inconsistencies with the products when compared to the products being sold at Hogwarts. The discrepancies are almost invisible to the naked eye, most of which being a vague difference in the shape of the fonts, the size lettering on the emblems of the houses. For example; the official Slytherin house crest has a silver serpent, where an item purchased in Hogsmeade bears a gray serpent. And the official Ravenclaw crest is an eagle, but the pennant purchase in Diagon alley bears a hawk.
Further investigation proves that not all of the vendors selling these items have the proper licenses to do so.
We would like to issue caution to anyone making purchases of Hogwarts apparel that it is not deemed official merchandise, and you could face fines for their purchase.