Doctor Who
1. Name: Laurie
2. Age: 18
3. Gender: Female
4. What are your hobbies/interests outside of HP? How do you feel these hobbies/interests contribute to your personality?
I’m not very big on hobbies. Mostly, I just spend my time reading. I like to read fantasy, sci-fi, historical fiction, and horror. I feel that this contributes to my personality by making me a bit more verbose and intelligent-sounding. Reading so much fiction also causes my head to be in the clouds most of the time. I’m often caught daydreaming, off in my own little world. I’m also very interested in whales, and I want to spend my life studying them. I spend a lot of my time now reading up on whales, watching movies about them, etc. This contributes to my personality because I’m a font of knowledge for anything whale. I somehow manage to work whales into practically every conversation I have. There are also a lot of TV shows that I enjoy watching, most of which have been cancelled by now. These contribute to my personality because they make me a generally more witty person. I like to watch shows with really sharp dialogue, and this shows when I talk.
5. Which Harry Potter character do you feel you can relate to the most? Explain. Which character is your favorite? Again, explain.
This is a difficult question, as I've never felt I really relate to a character in Harry Potter. There are characters I like, and characters I hate, but not really many characters I see myself in. I've been rated as Narcissa Malfoy in a few places, with Severus Snape coming in close second. I don't see the Narcissa, but I do see the Snape, so I guess I'll go with him. There are, however, a lot of reasons why I'm not like Snape, so I'll list both the fors and againsts.
For: I am a loner. I have one close friend (who is also my little sister), and a handful of acquaintances, and a bucket of people who feel animosity towards me. This is because, like Snape, I don't pretend to be someone I'm not in order to get people to like me. Also, like Snape, I just don't like most people I know in real life, and I let it show. I'm morally ambigious. I don't believe in right and wrong, I only believe in states in between. For this reason, I think that if I had to be involved in the war, I would be a double agent the way that Snape was. I still haven't decided which side I would pick to be on in the Wizarding War, so I think double agent would suit me nicely. I am intelligent, and I think that Snape is also very intelligent. I hold grudges.
Against: I think I would be more likely to just run for cover in the Wizarding War than to be a double agent. I'd rather not get involved at all. It would be considerably safer. While I do hold grudges, if a person consistently proves to me that they have changed, I'll let the grudge slide. For instance, there was a boy who I got into nasty verbal sparring matches with for a few months. A year later, he started hanging out with two of my better acquaintances. I was aghast, and still held a grudge against him. After being exposed to him for a few weeks at school, however, I came to realize he had changed a lot, and dropped my grudge against him. Another reason I am unlike Snape is that I have good hygiene, and wash my hair everyday.
Choosing a favorite character is also very difficult for me. I find it changes with every sorting application. This time around, though, I think it’s Firenze. I’ve had an obsession with centaurs since I was very young, probably a by-product of my obsession with Fantasia. My favorite part of the movie was the part with the centaurs. Firenze is incredibly mysterious, and not much is known about him. I find this compelling. He has a talent with reading the future in the stars, a talent to the degree of which a human could never possess. I find this intriguing. He is an outsider even among the outsiders. He is an enigma wrapped in a mystery stuffed in a puzzle-box. I always find these characters interest me most.
6. Give us the reasons for and against you being sorted into each of the houses.
a. Gryffindor
For: I can be stubborn and strong-willed. I have a high opinion of myself, so when I think I’m right I don’t back down. I can be brave in the sense that I will do things that lead to me being an outcast because I don’t want to have to change myself to satisfy other people. I am passionate about whales and studying them. I am an independent person who doesn't place a lot of weight on rules. I like to do my own thing.
Against. I’m not brave when it has to do with other people. I won’t put my life or happiness on the line for other people. I am not altruistic. I don’t think that I can fix the problems of the world, so I don’t even try. I don’t seek approval from my peers or glory. I don’t need to have many friends, I’m fine by myself or just with my little sister.
b. Hufflepuff
For: My Hufflepuff side really shows where animals are concerned. I can be caring and nurturing with animals. I’m loyal to them. I like to take care of them and help them. I’m also very nice to them. I can be a hard-worker, too, if I’m working for something that I really want.
Against: None of my Hufflepuff nature goes for humans. I’m loyal only to myself and my family. I’m not an overly friendly or nice person. I don’t pretend to like people when I don’t, which is often. I don’t really feel compelled to help my fellow man or care for them.
c. Ravenclaw
For: I have the obvious Ravenclaw trait of intelligence. I’m smart in school and just smart in general. I don’t really have to work for the A’s that I get. I’m a creative person, always thinking of new ideas and new stories in my mind. I am able to detach myself from a situation and look at it with logic. I also have the dreamy nature of some Ravenclaws, always stuck in my own head. I don’t care what other people think of me. I’m independent. I’m a loner. I like to spend most of my time by myself. I’m inquisitive and curious.
Against: My ambition goes further than just learning in general. While I do like to learn all that I can, I mostly focus my energies on areas that I need to achieve my goals. I don’t have a lot of trivial knowledge.
d. Slytherin
For: I am an ambitious person. I know what I want, and I’ll do almost anything to get it. I have a strong sense of self-preservation. I won’t put my life on the line for another person or for a cause. In the end, I value my life above the lives of others, because it’s mine. I refuse to spare people’s feelings by pretending that I like them when I don’t, unless I need something from them. For instance, there is this girl who I really am not fond of, but she offered to make me a swan dress for the prom. So, I was nice to her and pretended to like her while she was making it. When it was done, I stopped being nice. I think my independence can be a Slytherin trait as well. I don’t let people get their hooks in me and try to stop me from doing the things I want to do. I am prideful, and oftentimes arrogant. I understand people very well, which means I can get things from them more easily.
Against: I don’t value power as much as a lot of Slytherins seem to. There are things that I want, but they aren’t power. I’d like to stay in my own little world pulling strings, not trying to make the whole world do what I want. I also don’t have as many prejudices as the Slytherins in the books seem to (e.g. against Muggle-borns). I’ve been exposed to people of every race, gender, and class who annoy the hell out of me, so I don’t think any one is better than the other.
7. What was your least favorite moment in HP?
My least favorite moment is when J.K. Rowling tries to write the romance between Harry and Ginny. I thought she did it terribly. I didn’t sense any chemistry at all, and all the stuff about the “monster in his chest” just made me laugh out loud in mockery. I’ve never really been fond of the canon relationships in HP; I find them to be boring. I haven’t felt the chemistry in any canon relationship, really, but the place where it was lacking most was with Harry and Ginny. They appeared to be in love, but I wasn’t feeling it at all. I can’t explain what exactly I felt was wrong with it, but I just didn’t like the whole thing.
8. What about HP appeals to you (e.g. the romance, the adventure, the friendships, the fantasy, the mystery)?
I think that the parts of the story that we don’t know much about are the parts that appeal the most to me. I like secondary characters, and the mystery that surrounds them. I like to make up my own stories for them, formulate my own theories about their actions and their intentions. I like it when things are left partially in the dark, so that I can think of my own ways to explain them. I enjoy thinking about the houses that we don’t know much about: Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff. I also like characters with moral ambiguity. I like it when you can’t really tell which side a character is on, or if they’re even on a side at all. To sum that all up: I like the mysteries in Harry Potter, the things that Rowling doesn’t come straight out and tell us about.
9. What would you do if your friend was in danger? What would you give up in order to save them? Would you lay your life on the line?
I don’t have many friends, so I’ll just pretend we’re talking about my little sister. She’s one of the only people I care about. I think that I would give up a lot to save her. I’d give up money. I’d give up information, if that’s what they wanted. I would betray everyone else that I know. I would kill someone else to get her back. The one thing I wouldn’t do, though, is die for her. I wouldn’t die for anyone. As I’ve mentioned before, I’m very fond of my life. Plus, I don’t think she’d want me to die for her. She’s much less selfish than I am.
10. Given a choice between fame and money, which would you choose?
Money, no contest. I don’t like to be in the spotlight. I don’t like getting noticed, I’d rather just be behind the scenes. Fame would mean I would have barely any privacy, and I love my privacy. I love anonymity. I like to go places, and walk amongst huge crowds of people, and have no one recognize me. It’s like being alone, but there are plenty of people to study. And with money, I could do lots of things. Money opens doors, it gets you things. I often wish that I was rich, because it would make things so much easier for me. I could study whales without constantly having to worry where my next meal was coming from and how I was going to pay the rent. Fame wouldn’t necessarily get me that.
11 If you could only store one memory in the Pensieve to visit over again, which one would it be? Why?
The day I turned away from the Catholic faith and organized religion in general. I used to go to Church every weekend, thinking I'd go to hell if I stopped, but not really believing anything of what was said in the services. It was just a byproduct, a feeling of guilt left over from too many years being taught by priests and nuns. I was sitting in Church, listening to the homily, and it was disgustingly sexist. I got up, left, and told myself that I was never going back. This was four years ago. It started off a chain reaction that erased all the guilt and all the need to be approved of by some transcendent man. I want to remember that, so I never fall back into the trap of religious guilt again. I want to be able to be myself, without feeling sorry for it. I never again want to have to apologize for the things I want and the things I do.
12. What excites you the most in life? Where do you get the most joy and fulfillment?
Whales excite me most in life. Seeing them and hearing them and being near them gives me huge amounts of joy and fulfillment. I love their sense of mystery. I love their immensity. The sounds they make never fail to calm me down and make me feel serene. I feel fulfilled when I am studying whales, and when I am near them. They never cease to amaze me.
13. If you were in Harry's position during the "Snape's Worst Memory" incident, how would you view Peter, James, Sirius, Lily, Remus, and Snape differently? Why?
I would see James and Sirius as rather pompous tricksters. I’ve been to high school. I don’t expect anything more of teenage boys. So, I wouldn’t be outraged by what they were doing. It wouldn’t take my opinion of them down any lower, because I would never have had that high of an opinion of them in the first place. I would see Peter as a follower; he follows whoever he feels has the most power. I would see this as weak, I suppose, but a good way to ensure his own safety, so, admirable in some ways. I would think he was weak because I like to be in charge of my own fate, and not at the whims of the person in power. Lily I would see as self-righteous and bossy, someone who should really mind her own business. Remus I would see as a background figure that doesn’t participate in the events, but doesn’t hinder them. I don’t think I would feel sorry for Snape. I would feel that he is the type who can take care of himself, and will dole out the proper revenge in time. I would feel like I understood more the grudge he holds against Harry. I certainly wouldn’t like someone who revered and was the spitting image of a man who had humiliated me publicly and often. So, I think I would be a bit less judgmental than Harry, but that’s because I wouldn’t have any personal connection to the events.
14. Imagine you were an eleven-year-old Muggleborn witch/wizard who did not know about magic and had just received your Hogwarts letter. How would you react to leaving home and going to a magic school?
I would be excited, but afraid. I’m incredibly close with my family, and I find it difficult and unnecessary to befriend people who aren’t a part of my family. At a boarding school, however, I would be completely devoid of family, and thus alone. I would have to make friends with my peers in order to keep myself from being a hermit. Befriending people is a process that occasionally frightens me, but can be done. I spend most of my time alone, but every once in a while I like to be in the company of other people, so I would need at least a few friends. I would be excited because it would be like a dream come true. I read so many fantasy books as a child (and still read them), and I always want to be transported into the books. I would want the powers that come with being a Witch. It would also be less boring than Muggle school, with all those classes I care nothing for and have already mastered. Something new would be a challenge, and challenges keep me from getting bored.
15. If you had access to a time turner and there were no regulations regarding its usage, what would you use it for and why?
I would use it to finish my schooling early without exhausting myself. Even in the Muggle world, I find myself aching to be out of school and into the world of whales. I think that with all the magical creatures I would have access to upon graduating from Hogwarts, I would be even more ambitious to get out of school. I’m not particularly fond of sitting at a desk all day surrounded by other people. I like to be out on my own, studying things that I really care about.
16. In the Philosopher’s Stone (AKA Sorcerer’s Stone) Neville had a choice: he could let his friends go out at night when they weren’t supposed to and potentially they could lose points for his house, or he could confront them and stop them from breaking the rules. What would you have done in his situation?
I would have let them go. I don’t care when other people get in trouble. I’ve never had large amounts of pride in my school, so I doubt I’d be very gung-ho about winning the House Cup. Plus, I know they wouldn’t listen to me, so why even bother? Rules are made to be broken. I see no reason why people shouldn’t live a little sometimes, even if they will get in trouble for it. What other people do with their free time is of no concern to me, unless they’re plotting against me.
17. Who (dead, alive, or fictional) do you most admire? This can be someone from real life or from Harry Potter.
I don’t really admire anyone for their altruistic achievements or anything of the sort. The people I admire are admirable because of the creative genius that they possess. The person who I feel possesses the most of this genius is Clive Barker. He is an artist, an author, a playwright, a screenwriter, a director, a producer, a graphic novelist, a computer game producer, and probably more that I don’t know about. To top all of this off, he’s good at every single one of these things. He’s on my list of favorite authors for his horror and fantasy novels. They are oftentimes incredibly grotesque, but always original and fantastical. They keep my attention, and leave me thinking. He is my favorite artist. His paintings are vibrant and touching and beautiful and grotesque and sad, sometimes all at the same time. His work amazes me, and I find the way that he can evoke emotions so perfectly with words and paint to be incredibly admirable.
18. What is your favorite book outside of Harry Potter? What is it about this book that endears it to you?
This is a really difficult question for me to answer, because I read so much. If I had to pick just one, though, I would pick The Neverending Story by Michael Ende. The first half of the book is okay; I love the images that he paints with his words, and the world he has created. It’s the second half of the book, though, that makes it my favorite. First of all, there’s the fact that Bastian gets pulled into the book, something I’ve wanted to happen to me so many times. Mostly, though, I love following Bastian’s journey, the way he is changed by the power he gains, and eventually loses all sense of self. I don’t think he is corrupt, necessarily, but he is definitely changed. My favorite chapters are those where he remembers nothing of his former self, and is wandering Fantasia, lost in more than one sense of the word. There is a loneliness that pervades these chapters that I have grown to love. My all-time favorite chapter of any book is the chapter where he goes into the mines, and has to find a memory that will make him remember himself. This book appeals to me because it’s all about finding out who you are and what really matters to you. I’ve gone through this journey, and so I can relate to it very well.
19. You're sitting the final examination for a class that has given you a lot of trouble. Your grade is borderline, you really need to do well on this final to get an A. You can see the paper of your friend who sits next to you and who happens to excel in this subject. You've gotten to a question that you're stuck on. Do you glance at your friend's paper to figure out the answer or not? Why?
I would glance at my friend’s paper. I’ve done it before, I wouldn’t hesitate to do it again. I don’t often need to cheat, because usually I’m the top of my class, but occasionally there are instances when I need a little help. I like to get A’s. I’ll do what I can to get them. If I’m sneaky enough to get away with the cheating, I’ll do it. Grades mean a lot to me, because they get me the money I need to be attending college. Also, I'm a perfectionist, and hate to see anything but A's on my transcripts.
20. In Goblet of Fire, Harry was chosen for the Tri-Wizard Tournament even with the age-line. Ron was unable to enter because of the age restriction even though he really wanted to be a part of the Tournament. Was Ron right to be jealous/angry at Harry? Were Harry's reactions appropriate? Why?
I’ll preface this with saying that I don’t really believe in right and wrong, so I’ll just talk about whether Ron was logical or not. I think that Ron was being completely illogical. He’s supposed to be Harry’s best friend, so he should know that Harry doesn’t want any more fame than he already has. But I’ve come to the conclusion that Ron’s a bit daft in the head, so he probably doesn’t know much at all about Harry. Harry’s reactions were appropriate. He was being accused of doing something he hadn’t done, and he was being hated for it. There’s nothing reprehensible about lashing out for reasons like that. Also, it must have felt like a betrayal to have his best friend side with the entire school against him.
21. Which class would you look forward to the most at Hogwarts? Which classes do you/did you excel in most at school?
I would look forward to Care of Magical Creatures and Potions the most. I enjoy animals, especially mythical animals, so I think I would love to be around them and studying them. However, if Hagrid were teaching the class, I would feel cheated. He just was not a good teacher, at all. I would look forward to Potions because I’ve always liked Chemistry, and I think Potions is the magical equivalent of Chemistry. I enjoy mixing parts together to make a whole that does something entirely different than the parts. It's very fulfilling.
In school I excelled in all of my classes. I had the top grade in almost all of them, sometimes I was second. I excelled without studying in Calculus, Trigonometry, Biology, Chemistry, English, and French. I had to study a bit to excel in Physics and Geometry. I suppose I’ll probably have to start studying a bit more in college.
22. What would be the first place you visit during a Hogsmeade weekend? Why?
They never mention a bookstore in the books, but there has to be one. I would go there. I like books, and I like bookstores. I like the musty smell of pages. I enjoy just walking down aisles of books leisurely, looking at titles, picking out books that interest me. I enjoy spending entire days in bookstores, sitting around sampling books. It keeps me occupied, and people don’t bother me. Also, I can people watch and read at the same time. I enjoy people watching. If there wasn’t a bookstore, I would honestly just stay at Hogwarts. It would be fun to have the castle mostly to myself, and nothing else at Hogsmeade really appeals to me.
23. In the wizarding world, all 5th year students are required to pick a career to focus on going into their 6th and 7th years at Hogwarts. What career path would you choose? Why?
I would choose to be a magical creature caretaker. I don’t want a job that involves people, and pretty much everything else would involve people. I really love to be around animals, and I like to take care of them, especially marine animals. I think this line of work would be very satisfying, and challenging enough to keep me from getting bored. I would feel a sense of freedom doing field work that I couldn’t get in an office job, or any job indoors.
24. In the Wizarding world, some pure-blood wizards consider Muggle-borns "filthy" and "horrible." In our world, people are categorized by their wealth, racial background, and appearance. What are your opinions on Muggle-borns? What are the qualities that you value in others?
I don’t see why value should be placed on the purity of blood running in a person’s veins. It should be based on talent. So, my opinions on Muggle-borns are the same as my opinions on Purebloods: I probably find most of them annoying. I don’t have a lot of standards for other people, considering I spend most of my time alone, so I will describe the qualities of a person who wouldn’t annoy me. They would be reticent, and would not speak unless they had something important to say. They would be intelligent. They would not seek attention. They would have a dry, cynical sense of humor. They would see nothing wrong with breaking rules every once in a while. They would not bow to authority, but fight it. They would be neither pessimistic nor optimistic. They wouldn’t place a lot of value on morals, or what society thinks is moral. You can see why most people annoy me. Few people fit my standards. I’m picky.
25. You have stumbled across five magical wells. One is the Well of Common Sense and Logic, the second is the Well of Creativity, the third is the Well of Optimism, the fourth is the Well of Physical Strength, and the fifth is the Well of Beauty. You can only drink from one well, but once you do you will be endowed with that ability for the rest of your life. Which well do you think you would definitely not need, and which do you think you would want to drink from?
I would definitely not need the Well of Optimism. I’m not optimistic, but I’m not pessimistic either. Being an optimist just means you get your hopes up all the time, and then they get dashed. I just expect the ordinary. Then, if bad things happen, I’m not all that let-down, and if good things happen I’m pleasantly surprised. I don’t see the value of optimism. I think that I would drink from the Well of Common Sense and Logic. These are the things that will keep me alive, more than any of the others. The ability to think straight and think on your feet is a really good ability to have. I feel that in this day and age, it is the most practical trait to possess. Common sense and logic will get me places that the other wells can’t. Also, I could use a bit more common sense and logic. I find my head is often so far in the clouds that I forget where the rest of my body is. Occasionally, I need grounding.
26. In Half-Blood Prince, we witnessed Harry force-feeding Dumbledore the potion that weakened him, even though it pained Harry to do so, because he promised Dumbledore he would do whatever he wished. If you were in Harry's position, would you have stopped feeding Dumbledore the potion, or would you have continued? Do you think it was right for Harry to do as Dumbledore wished? Explain.
I think that I should first of all say that I never would have gone with Dumbledore in the first place, so it’s incredibly hard for me to answer this question. I would have kept feeding him the potion, though, if I somehow managed to be in that position. I would know that it was the only way to get what we had come for, so I might as well do it. The fact that it was so difficult would mean we were on the right track. Once again, I don’t really believe in right and wrong, so I can’t say if what Harry did was right, exactly. I think that he made the choice that was in his best interest, and in the best interest of the Order, even though it didn’t turn out the way it should have.
27. Anything else you want to tell us before we sort you? Also, please tell us where you heard about this community. (Members who refer new applicants receive points, so please try to be as specific as possible.)
I like to sing in the shower. I heard about this community doing an interest search for something or the other HP-related. I don’t remember. I’d like to add that I don’t mind interacting with people on the internet. This application makes me sound a bit like a hermit who doesn’t want to talk to anyone, but I find that on the internet people annoy me much less, which is why I’m in sorting communities and have a lot of friends on LiveJournal. I really just get annoyed with people when we're face to face.
2. Age: 18
3. Gender: Female
4. What are your hobbies/interests outside of HP? How do you feel these hobbies/interests contribute to your personality?
I’m not very big on hobbies. Mostly, I just spend my time reading. I like to read fantasy, sci-fi, historical fiction, and horror. I feel that this contributes to my personality by making me a bit more verbose and intelligent-sounding. Reading so much fiction also causes my head to be in the clouds most of the time. I’m often caught daydreaming, off in my own little world. I’m also very interested in whales, and I want to spend my life studying them. I spend a lot of my time now reading up on whales, watching movies about them, etc. This contributes to my personality because I’m a font of knowledge for anything whale. I somehow manage to work whales into practically every conversation I have. There are also a lot of TV shows that I enjoy watching, most of which have been cancelled by now. These contribute to my personality because they make me a generally more witty person. I like to watch shows with really sharp dialogue, and this shows when I talk.
5. Which Harry Potter character do you feel you can relate to the most? Explain. Which character is your favorite? Again, explain.
This is a difficult question, as I've never felt I really relate to a character in Harry Potter. There are characters I like, and characters I hate, but not really many characters I see myself in. I've been rated as Narcissa Malfoy in a few places, with Severus Snape coming in close second. I don't see the Narcissa, but I do see the Snape, so I guess I'll go with him. There are, however, a lot of reasons why I'm not like Snape, so I'll list both the fors and againsts.
For: I am a loner. I have one close friend (who is also my little sister), and a handful of acquaintances, and a bucket of people who feel animosity towards me. This is because, like Snape, I don't pretend to be someone I'm not in order to get people to like me. Also, like Snape, I just don't like most people I know in real life, and I let it show. I'm morally ambigious. I don't believe in right and wrong, I only believe in states in between. For this reason, I think that if I had to be involved in the war, I would be a double agent the way that Snape was. I still haven't decided which side I would pick to be on in the Wizarding War, so I think double agent would suit me nicely. I am intelligent, and I think that Snape is also very intelligent. I hold grudges.
Against: I think I would be more likely to just run for cover in the Wizarding War than to be a double agent. I'd rather not get involved at all. It would be considerably safer. While I do hold grudges, if a person consistently proves to me that they have changed, I'll let the grudge slide. For instance, there was a boy who I got into nasty verbal sparring matches with for a few months. A year later, he started hanging out with two of my better acquaintances. I was aghast, and still held a grudge against him. After being exposed to him for a few weeks at school, however, I came to realize he had changed a lot, and dropped my grudge against him. Another reason I am unlike Snape is that I have good hygiene, and wash my hair everyday.
Choosing a favorite character is also very difficult for me. I find it changes with every sorting application. This time around, though, I think it’s Firenze. I’ve had an obsession with centaurs since I was very young, probably a by-product of my obsession with Fantasia. My favorite part of the movie was the part with the centaurs. Firenze is incredibly mysterious, and not much is known about him. I find this compelling. He has a talent with reading the future in the stars, a talent to the degree of which a human could never possess. I find this intriguing. He is an outsider even among the outsiders. He is an enigma wrapped in a mystery stuffed in a puzzle-box. I always find these characters interest me most.
6. Give us the reasons for and against you being sorted into each of the houses.
a. Gryffindor
For: I can be stubborn and strong-willed. I have a high opinion of myself, so when I think I’m right I don’t back down. I can be brave in the sense that I will do things that lead to me being an outcast because I don’t want to have to change myself to satisfy other people. I am passionate about whales and studying them. I am an independent person who doesn't place a lot of weight on rules. I like to do my own thing.
Against. I’m not brave when it has to do with other people. I won’t put my life or happiness on the line for other people. I am not altruistic. I don’t think that I can fix the problems of the world, so I don’t even try. I don’t seek approval from my peers or glory. I don’t need to have many friends, I’m fine by myself or just with my little sister.
b. Hufflepuff
For: My Hufflepuff side really shows where animals are concerned. I can be caring and nurturing with animals. I’m loyal to them. I like to take care of them and help them. I’m also very nice to them. I can be a hard-worker, too, if I’m working for something that I really want.
Against: None of my Hufflepuff nature goes for humans. I’m loyal only to myself and my family. I’m not an overly friendly or nice person. I don’t pretend to like people when I don’t, which is often. I don’t really feel compelled to help my fellow man or care for them.
c. Ravenclaw
For: I have the obvious Ravenclaw trait of intelligence. I’m smart in school and just smart in general. I don’t really have to work for the A’s that I get. I’m a creative person, always thinking of new ideas and new stories in my mind. I am able to detach myself from a situation and look at it with logic. I also have the dreamy nature of some Ravenclaws, always stuck in my own head. I don’t care what other people think of me. I’m independent. I’m a loner. I like to spend most of my time by myself. I’m inquisitive and curious.
Against: My ambition goes further than just learning in general. While I do like to learn all that I can, I mostly focus my energies on areas that I need to achieve my goals. I don’t have a lot of trivial knowledge.
d. Slytherin
For: I am an ambitious person. I know what I want, and I’ll do almost anything to get it. I have a strong sense of self-preservation. I won’t put my life on the line for another person or for a cause. In the end, I value my life above the lives of others, because it’s mine. I refuse to spare people’s feelings by pretending that I like them when I don’t, unless I need something from them. For instance, there is this girl who I really am not fond of, but she offered to make me a swan dress for the prom. So, I was nice to her and pretended to like her while she was making it. When it was done, I stopped being nice. I think my independence can be a Slytherin trait as well. I don’t let people get their hooks in me and try to stop me from doing the things I want to do. I am prideful, and oftentimes arrogant. I understand people very well, which means I can get things from them more easily.
Against: I don’t value power as much as a lot of Slytherins seem to. There are things that I want, but they aren’t power. I’d like to stay in my own little world pulling strings, not trying to make the whole world do what I want. I also don’t have as many prejudices as the Slytherins in the books seem to (e.g. against Muggle-borns). I’ve been exposed to people of every race, gender, and class who annoy the hell out of me, so I don’t think any one is better than the other.
7. What was your least favorite moment in HP?
My least favorite moment is when J.K. Rowling tries to write the romance between Harry and Ginny. I thought she did it terribly. I didn’t sense any chemistry at all, and all the stuff about the “monster in his chest” just made me laugh out loud in mockery. I’ve never really been fond of the canon relationships in HP; I find them to be boring. I haven’t felt the chemistry in any canon relationship, really, but the place where it was lacking most was with Harry and Ginny. They appeared to be in love, but I wasn’t feeling it at all. I can’t explain what exactly I felt was wrong with it, but I just didn’t like the whole thing.
8. What about HP appeals to you (e.g. the romance, the adventure, the friendships, the fantasy, the mystery)?
I think that the parts of the story that we don’t know much about are the parts that appeal the most to me. I like secondary characters, and the mystery that surrounds them. I like to make up my own stories for them, formulate my own theories about their actions and their intentions. I like it when things are left partially in the dark, so that I can think of my own ways to explain them. I enjoy thinking about the houses that we don’t know much about: Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff. I also like characters with moral ambiguity. I like it when you can’t really tell which side a character is on, or if they’re even on a side at all. To sum that all up: I like the mysteries in Harry Potter, the things that Rowling doesn’t come straight out and tell us about.
9. What would you do if your friend was in danger? What would you give up in order to save them? Would you lay your life on the line?
I don’t have many friends, so I’ll just pretend we’re talking about my little sister. She’s one of the only people I care about. I think that I would give up a lot to save her. I’d give up money. I’d give up information, if that’s what they wanted. I would betray everyone else that I know. I would kill someone else to get her back. The one thing I wouldn’t do, though, is die for her. I wouldn’t die for anyone. As I’ve mentioned before, I’m very fond of my life. Plus, I don’t think she’d want me to die for her. She’s much less selfish than I am.
10. Given a choice between fame and money, which would you choose?
Money, no contest. I don’t like to be in the spotlight. I don’t like getting noticed, I’d rather just be behind the scenes. Fame would mean I would have barely any privacy, and I love my privacy. I love anonymity. I like to go places, and walk amongst huge crowds of people, and have no one recognize me. It’s like being alone, but there are plenty of people to study. And with money, I could do lots of things. Money opens doors, it gets you things. I often wish that I was rich, because it would make things so much easier for me. I could study whales without constantly having to worry where my next meal was coming from and how I was going to pay the rent. Fame wouldn’t necessarily get me that.
11 If you could only store one memory in the Pensieve to visit over again, which one would it be? Why?
The day I turned away from the Catholic faith and organized religion in general. I used to go to Church every weekend, thinking I'd go to hell if I stopped, but not really believing anything of what was said in the services. It was just a byproduct, a feeling of guilt left over from too many years being taught by priests and nuns. I was sitting in Church, listening to the homily, and it was disgustingly sexist. I got up, left, and told myself that I was never going back. This was four years ago. It started off a chain reaction that erased all the guilt and all the need to be approved of by some transcendent man. I want to remember that, so I never fall back into the trap of religious guilt again. I want to be able to be myself, without feeling sorry for it. I never again want to have to apologize for the things I want and the things I do.
12. What excites you the most in life? Where do you get the most joy and fulfillment?
Whales excite me most in life. Seeing them and hearing them and being near them gives me huge amounts of joy and fulfillment. I love their sense of mystery. I love their immensity. The sounds they make never fail to calm me down and make me feel serene. I feel fulfilled when I am studying whales, and when I am near them. They never cease to amaze me.
13. If you were in Harry's position during the "Snape's Worst Memory" incident, how would you view Peter, James, Sirius, Lily, Remus, and Snape differently? Why?
I would see James and Sirius as rather pompous tricksters. I’ve been to high school. I don’t expect anything more of teenage boys. So, I wouldn’t be outraged by what they were doing. It wouldn’t take my opinion of them down any lower, because I would never have had that high of an opinion of them in the first place. I would see Peter as a follower; he follows whoever he feels has the most power. I would see this as weak, I suppose, but a good way to ensure his own safety, so, admirable in some ways. I would think he was weak because I like to be in charge of my own fate, and not at the whims of the person in power. Lily I would see as self-righteous and bossy, someone who should really mind her own business. Remus I would see as a background figure that doesn’t participate in the events, but doesn’t hinder them. I don’t think I would feel sorry for Snape. I would feel that he is the type who can take care of himself, and will dole out the proper revenge in time. I would feel like I understood more the grudge he holds against Harry. I certainly wouldn’t like someone who revered and was the spitting image of a man who had humiliated me publicly and often. So, I think I would be a bit less judgmental than Harry, but that’s because I wouldn’t have any personal connection to the events.
14. Imagine you were an eleven-year-old Muggleborn witch/wizard who did not know about magic and had just received your Hogwarts letter. How would you react to leaving home and going to a magic school?
I would be excited, but afraid. I’m incredibly close with my family, and I find it difficult and unnecessary to befriend people who aren’t a part of my family. At a boarding school, however, I would be completely devoid of family, and thus alone. I would have to make friends with my peers in order to keep myself from being a hermit. Befriending people is a process that occasionally frightens me, but can be done. I spend most of my time alone, but every once in a while I like to be in the company of other people, so I would need at least a few friends. I would be excited because it would be like a dream come true. I read so many fantasy books as a child (and still read them), and I always want to be transported into the books. I would want the powers that come with being a Witch. It would also be less boring than Muggle school, with all those classes I care nothing for and have already mastered. Something new would be a challenge, and challenges keep me from getting bored.
15. If you had access to a time turner and there were no regulations regarding its usage, what would you use it for and why?
I would use it to finish my schooling early without exhausting myself. Even in the Muggle world, I find myself aching to be out of school and into the world of whales. I think that with all the magical creatures I would have access to upon graduating from Hogwarts, I would be even more ambitious to get out of school. I’m not particularly fond of sitting at a desk all day surrounded by other people. I like to be out on my own, studying things that I really care about.
16. In the Philosopher’s Stone (AKA Sorcerer’s Stone) Neville had a choice: he could let his friends go out at night when they weren’t supposed to and potentially they could lose points for his house, or he could confront them and stop them from breaking the rules. What would you have done in his situation?
I would have let them go. I don’t care when other people get in trouble. I’ve never had large amounts of pride in my school, so I doubt I’d be very gung-ho about winning the House Cup. Plus, I know they wouldn’t listen to me, so why even bother? Rules are made to be broken. I see no reason why people shouldn’t live a little sometimes, even if they will get in trouble for it. What other people do with their free time is of no concern to me, unless they’re plotting against me.
17. Who (dead, alive, or fictional) do you most admire? This can be someone from real life or from Harry Potter.
I don’t really admire anyone for their altruistic achievements or anything of the sort. The people I admire are admirable because of the creative genius that they possess. The person who I feel possesses the most of this genius is Clive Barker. He is an artist, an author, a playwright, a screenwriter, a director, a producer, a graphic novelist, a computer game producer, and probably more that I don’t know about. To top all of this off, he’s good at every single one of these things. He’s on my list of favorite authors for his horror and fantasy novels. They are oftentimes incredibly grotesque, but always original and fantastical. They keep my attention, and leave me thinking. He is my favorite artist. His paintings are vibrant and touching and beautiful and grotesque and sad, sometimes all at the same time. His work amazes me, and I find the way that he can evoke emotions so perfectly with words and paint to be incredibly admirable.
18. What is your favorite book outside of Harry Potter? What is it about this book that endears it to you?
This is a really difficult question for me to answer, because I read so much. If I had to pick just one, though, I would pick The Neverending Story by Michael Ende. The first half of the book is okay; I love the images that he paints with his words, and the world he has created. It’s the second half of the book, though, that makes it my favorite. First of all, there’s the fact that Bastian gets pulled into the book, something I’ve wanted to happen to me so many times. Mostly, though, I love following Bastian’s journey, the way he is changed by the power he gains, and eventually loses all sense of self. I don’t think he is corrupt, necessarily, but he is definitely changed. My favorite chapters are those where he remembers nothing of his former self, and is wandering Fantasia, lost in more than one sense of the word. There is a loneliness that pervades these chapters that I have grown to love. My all-time favorite chapter of any book is the chapter where he goes into the mines, and has to find a memory that will make him remember himself. This book appeals to me because it’s all about finding out who you are and what really matters to you. I’ve gone through this journey, and so I can relate to it very well.
19. You're sitting the final examination for a class that has given you a lot of trouble. Your grade is borderline, you really need to do well on this final to get an A. You can see the paper of your friend who sits next to you and who happens to excel in this subject. You've gotten to a question that you're stuck on. Do you glance at your friend's paper to figure out the answer or not? Why?
I would glance at my friend’s paper. I’ve done it before, I wouldn’t hesitate to do it again. I don’t often need to cheat, because usually I’m the top of my class, but occasionally there are instances when I need a little help. I like to get A’s. I’ll do what I can to get them. If I’m sneaky enough to get away with the cheating, I’ll do it. Grades mean a lot to me, because they get me the money I need to be attending college. Also, I'm a perfectionist, and hate to see anything but A's on my transcripts.
20. In Goblet of Fire, Harry was chosen for the Tri-Wizard Tournament even with the age-line. Ron was unable to enter because of the age restriction even though he really wanted to be a part of the Tournament. Was Ron right to be jealous/angry at Harry? Were Harry's reactions appropriate? Why?
I’ll preface this with saying that I don’t really believe in right and wrong, so I’ll just talk about whether Ron was logical or not. I think that Ron was being completely illogical. He’s supposed to be Harry’s best friend, so he should know that Harry doesn’t want any more fame than he already has. But I’ve come to the conclusion that Ron’s a bit daft in the head, so he probably doesn’t know much at all about Harry. Harry’s reactions were appropriate. He was being accused of doing something he hadn’t done, and he was being hated for it. There’s nothing reprehensible about lashing out for reasons like that. Also, it must have felt like a betrayal to have his best friend side with the entire school against him.
21. Which class would you look forward to the most at Hogwarts? Which classes do you/did you excel in most at school?
I would look forward to Care of Magical Creatures and Potions the most. I enjoy animals, especially mythical animals, so I think I would love to be around them and studying them. However, if Hagrid were teaching the class, I would feel cheated. He just was not a good teacher, at all. I would look forward to Potions because I’ve always liked Chemistry, and I think Potions is the magical equivalent of Chemistry. I enjoy mixing parts together to make a whole that does something entirely different than the parts. It's very fulfilling.
In school I excelled in all of my classes. I had the top grade in almost all of them, sometimes I was second. I excelled without studying in Calculus, Trigonometry, Biology, Chemistry, English, and French. I had to study a bit to excel in Physics and Geometry. I suppose I’ll probably have to start studying a bit more in college.
22. What would be the first place you visit during a Hogsmeade weekend? Why?
They never mention a bookstore in the books, but there has to be one. I would go there. I like books, and I like bookstores. I like the musty smell of pages. I enjoy just walking down aisles of books leisurely, looking at titles, picking out books that interest me. I enjoy spending entire days in bookstores, sitting around sampling books. It keeps me occupied, and people don’t bother me. Also, I can people watch and read at the same time. I enjoy people watching. If there wasn’t a bookstore, I would honestly just stay at Hogwarts. It would be fun to have the castle mostly to myself, and nothing else at Hogsmeade really appeals to me.
23. In the wizarding world, all 5th year students are required to pick a career to focus on going into their 6th and 7th years at Hogwarts. What career path would you choose? Why?
I would choose to be a magical creature caretaker. I don’t want a job that involves people, and pretty much everything else would involve people. I really love to be around animals, and I like to take care of them, especially marine animals. I think this line of work would be very satisfying, and challenging enough to keep me from getting bored. I would feel a sense of freedom doing field work that I couldn’t get in an office job, or any job indoors.
24. In the Wizarding world, some pure-blood wizards consider Muggle-borns "filthy" and "horrible." In our world, people are categorized by their wealth, racial background, and appearance. What are your opinions on Muggle-borns? What are the qualities that you value in others?
I don’t see why value should be placed on the purity of blood running in a person’s veins. It should be based on talent. So, my opinions on Muggle-borns are the same as my opinions on Purebloods: I probably find most of them annoying. I don’t have a lot of standards for other people, considering I spend most of my time alone, so I will describe the qualities of a person who wouldn’t annoy me. They would be reticent, and would not speak unless they had something important to say. They would be intelligent. They would not seek attention. They would have a dry, cynical sense of humor. They would see nothing wrong with breaking rules every once in a while. They would not bow to authority, but fight it. They would be neither pessimistic nor optimistic. They wouldn’t place a lot of value on morals, or what society thinks is moral. You can see why most people annoy me. Few people fit my standards. I’m picky.
25. You have stumbled across five magical wells. One is the Well of Common Sense and Logic, the second is the Well of Creativity, the third is the Well of Optimism, the fourth is the Well of Physical Strength, and the fifth is the Well of Beauty. You can only drink from one well, but once you do you will be endowed with that ability for the rest of your life. Which well do you think you would definitely not need, and which do you think you would want to drink from?
I would definitely not need the Well of Optimism. I’m not optimistic, but I’m not pessimistic either. Being an optimist just means you get your hopes up all the time, and then they get dashed. I just expect the ordinary. Then, if bad things happen, I’m not all that let-down, and if good things happen I’m pleasantly surprised. I don’t see the value of optimism. I think that I would drink from the Well of Common Sense and Logic. These are the things that will keep me alive, more than any of the others. The ability to think straight and think on your feet is a really good ability to have. I feel that in this day and age, it is the most practical trait to possess. Common sense and logic will get me places that the other wells can’t. Also, I could use a bit more common sense and logic. I find my head is often so far in the clouds that I forget where the rest of my body is. Occasionally, I need grounding.
26. In Half-Blood Prince, we witnessed Harry force-feeding Dumbledore the potion that weakened him, even though it pained Harry to do so, because he promised Dumbledore he would do whatever he wished. If you were in Harry's position, would you have stopped feeding Dumbledore the potion, or would you have continued? Do you think it was right for Harry to do as Dumbledore wished? Explain.
I think that I should first of all say that I never would have gone with Dumbledore in the first place, so it’s incredibly hard for me to answer this question. I would have kept feeding him the potion, though, if I somehow managed to be in that position. I would know that it was the only way to get what we had come for, so I might as well do it. The fact that it was so difficult would mean we were on the right track. Once again, I don’t really believe in right and wrong, so I can’t say if what Harry did was right, exactly. I think that he made the choice that was in his best interest, and in the best interest of the Order, even though it didn’t turn out the way it should have.
27. Anything else you want to tell us before we sort you? Also, please tell us where you heard about this community. (Members who refer new applicants receive points, so please try to be as specific as possible.)
I like to sing in the shower. I heard about this community doing an interest search for something or the other HP-related. I don’t remember. I’d like to add that I don’t mind interacting with people on the internet. This application makes me sound a bit like a hermit who doesn’t want to talk to anyone, but I find that on the internet people annoy me much less, which is why I’m in sorting communities and have a lot of friends on LiveJournal. I really just get annoyed with people when we're face to face.