Everybody at Hogwarts knows that Scotland in winter is about as mercurial as Peeves. For example, in one memorable week last month, we had a foot of snow, torrential rain, sun with temperatures around 15 degrees C, and mountains of fog so thick even Lumos Maxima barely penetrated past your wand tip.
However, that's just normal. If you want really weird weather? You need to go into the hills beyond Hogsmeade. How do I know, you ask? Well... it definitely was not on a dare from Kalina. And Jade clearly had nothing to do with it, either. I would never, ever try to impress a Ravenclaw, after all. *cough*
ANYWAY, I just had to tell you about this super-cool but definitely weird weather feature that I experienced in the dale beyond the caves. I'm told it's called "iomghaoth" - and it's totally fascinating if a little hard to explain. It's not really a tornado - it's not that huge - but it's definitely a smaller cousin or something, sort of like Grawp versus a full-sized giant, with about that same amount of powerful force.
I asked Headmistress McGonagall about imoghaoth - well, okay, I asked her what it was and she told me - and discovered that this weird weather occurs when warm air and really cold air collide in a huge Bludger battle of wind. Those might not have exactly been her words, but I could just see the huge battle and them scurrying around and around trying to catch each other and creating a vortex. Because that's definitely what I experienced when I... er... don't tell Jade, okay? But I just had to see what was in the center of something that cool.
And it was! It was insanely cool! Once my stomach caught up with the rest of my body and the world stopped spinning, the center of the whirlwind was gorgeous! It was like entering another, even more beautiful, world. Colors were more vivid, light was more brilliant, and everything seemed to sparkle. Sadly, it didn't last - the iomghaoth was too fleeting and on the move - but it was totally worth the initial disorientation.
I don't know why Headmistress McGonagall was so incensed by the idea that someone might voluntarily enter an iomghaoth, but, honestly, I can't understand why she was so upset. Sure, there's a bit of a washing machine effect, but just hold onto your broom and you'll be fine. I highly recommend that everyone experience this bit of weird weather - and who knows? Maybe something special will be located in that beautiful, shiny place the next time someone ventures in. It certainly seems like there must be pretty powerful magic at work, but not at all like Dark magic. I can't wait to go back and explore it further! Just don't tell McGonagall, okay? I don't want to get detention during a Quidditch match.