I'm ready to be Sorted!
Take all the time you need to get through this--I know I wrote a lot...
Name: Lauren
Age: 22
Gender: F
Astrological Sign: Pisces / Wood Ox
1.) How did you first hear about “Harry Potter”? What were your first thoughts and reactions to the idea, series, or movies? Well, I know a lot of my friends were reading the books when I was in late middle school, early high school, something like that. But I was one of those kids that thought it was important not to do cool things because “everybody else” was doing them…so I resisted Harry Potter on principle. I think I saw the first movie about a year after it came out, and thought it was a cute idea, but otherwise wasn’t really interested. When I was a sophomore in college, though, one of my best friends bought me the first book and asked me to read it-just to trust him. So, I did, and I thought-as I had with the movie-that it was okay; I liked the book better than the movie, though, because I enjoyed the detail in Rowling’s world. Over the next few years, I occasionally would pick up the next book in the series and read it. When Half-Blood Prince came out, I don’t think I’d even finished reading Goblet of Fire yet, so I barricaded myself away from my roommates-all of whom were sitting around reading the new book. A little over a year ago-maybe a couple weeks before HBP came out in paperback in the US-I was interning for the summer in Washington, D.C., and I was bored one afternoon, so I went and bought the book…and sat up all night reading it. I mean, I had really enjoyed the fifth book (aside from being constantly indignant because of it), but it wasn’t until the sixth that I genuinely got hooked by the series. So…I, the ever-hesitant Harry Potter fan, turned quietly obsessive in time for the fifth movie and seventh book to come out right after I graduated… So, here I am, a Harry Potter fan several years in the making, and anxious to be Sorted.
2.) What about the books appeals to you? Why do you feel that you enjoy them? I like that the books have a very light-hearted humor to them-I mean, really, there’s just a lot of silliness. But it is so important to be able to look at the world and laugh, so I think that’s a wonderful thing. But also, in a strange way, I like the ever-present theme of death that pervades the whole series, because that’s an important lesson, too: All things have their season, and all things must pass when it is there time. Part of life is learning not to be afraid of change or transition, even that big transition from life into…whatever lies beyond the veil. And, of course, love-“the greatest thing you’ll ever learn…” and all that. Love is the best of ourselves.
My favorite thing about the series, though, is how it evolves in complexity as the main characters age, beginning with troubles suitable for a (rather extraordinary) 11 year-old, and growing and developing until the story is very, very mature, and very applicable to the troubles of even an adult in our own world.
3.) Which book do you consider to be your favorite of the series? At my first go, I liked Half-Blood Prince best, by far: I think it was the first one that made me feel like I was under pressure as much as the main characters, and I was intrigued by this business of “the Prince”-and I still can’t believe I didn’t guess who he was! When I finished HBP, I gave it a rest for a day, and then picked it up and read it again--just to catch details I might have missed. I particularly liked rereading the scene at Spinner’s End near the beginning of the book, reading over the little details Rowling put in about characters’ body language and such, and thinking about why they behaved the way they did… Order of the Phoenix and Deathly Hallows are tied for second, for me, since I just really enjoyed the stories, the character development, the political/historical stuff…all very interesting.
4.) Which book do you consider to be your least favorite of the series? Chamber of Secrets, definitely; Gilderoy Lockhart was infuriating, but every now and then I managed to laugh at him, but I just didn’t really find the mystery of the Chamber intriguing, the story felt slow, and I just didn’t think there was much terribly interesting character development, either.
5.) Which quote do you regard as your favorite from either the book or movies? I’m afraid I don’t have my books with me right now-I loaned them to my mom so she can start reading them-so I’m going off memory. I like what Dumbledore says about making the choice between what is right and what is easy; and, on a related vein, I also like Sirius Black’s line about the world not being split into good people and Death Eaters-how there is good and evil inside each of us, and it’s the choices we make that define us. I believe that life-that I-have no inherent purpose or “meaning,” no intrinsic definition; I am defined by the choices I make, and so I am neither “good” nor “evil,” but-if anything-my choices are. I can choose what my life will represent, so that no matter how my story ends, whether I live and die for something or for nothing will be entirely up to me.
6.) Favorite character? Severus Snape, without question. When I first saw the movie, I found him slightly annoying, to be honest-I sat there thinking, “They keep wanting me to think he’s the bad guy, but it’s too obvious. These kids are dumb, and this Snape guy is some kind of tool hackneyed plot device.” But when I read the books, I just became completely intrigued by him. I think he, by far, is the most interesting character, because there are just so many levels to him, and so many different personas he has to maintain from one moment to the next. I never doubted him, even after the end of HBP-I knew he must have been under orders from Dumbledore, and, in any case, there was the problem of his Unbreakable Vow… While I waited for Deathly Hallows to come out, I was seriously worried about Snape-I mean physically stressed over him. I don’t think I’ve ever felt that kind of empathy for a character before, so I give credit to Rowling for crafting a character so complete that I sometimes catch myself thinking of him as a real person, as someone I know.
I also like that Snape is never fully redeemed-I mean, we finally learn (as some of us suspected) that, in keeping with the books’ two main themes of love and death, Snape did everything for love. But (and this is what I like) we see that his love was not particularly saintly: He was childish, and selfish, and arrogant-but arrogant because really he was so self-conscious (superiority complexes tend to be inferiority complexes in disguise, after all). He never really was good or bad, because he was only ever on Lily’s side: He became a Death Eater because he thought allying himself with someone strong would make him seem strong by proxy (to impress Lily?); he turned spy only because that was the “price” he thought would buy Dumbledore’s protection for Lily; and he only continued to put himself at dire risk and, ultimately, died a “secret good guy” for Lily’s memory. So, I like Snape because he’s complex-and because he fits my favorite quotes very well.
And, c’mon, Snape’s got such a sharp tongue getting insulted by him could be considered “assault with a deadly weapon.” That’s hot.
7.) Least favorite character? Dolores Umbridge initially made me rankle the most-I mean, I think I growled and gritted my teeth through most of my first read of OotP. On further reflection, though, I realize I don’t hate her the most: I sincerely despise Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy. True, we never see them do anything truly diabolical, like murder in cold blood-they’re just school yard bullies that only “grew up” in the sense that they grew older-but the Malfoys are Machiavellian, power-hungry cowards, which I despise far more than outright monsters. Again, it comes back to the choice between what’s right and what’s easy-hell, even Umbridge and Bellatrix are genuinely doing what, in their screwy morals, is “right”-but the Malfoys just do what they think will save their skin from one moment to the next. I feel a little bad for Draco, though; his parents made him into the person he is-I don’t think he would’ve been a “bad guy” if he’d felt he had the strength to be different. Once again, what’s right and what’s easy…
8.) Out of the entire Potter-universe, what creature(s) are your favorite? While I don’t “like” them, per se, I think the most interesting creatures are boggarts: There’s a lot to be said for facing your fears, and I think the Potter-universe’s advice that the best way to rid yourself of your fears is to face them with laughter is great advice, indeed.
9.) Are you a fan of the movies? If so, which is your favorite and why? If not, how do you feel about them? What makes you dislike them? Eh, the movies are fun on their own, but I feel like they just skim the top layer off the books and present it without any of the real substance that makes the books so interesting. Thus far, though, Order of the Phoenix has actually been my favorite movie. I have a lot of complaints about things that got left out, but on the whole I felt it did the best job of presenting the dual themes of love and death that form the backbone of the whole series (That, and the wizard battle in the Ministry was just plain cool).
10.) Out of the listed Hogwarts courses in canon, which do you feel would be your favorite class to attend? Your best class? I’m not much for memorization, so I feel like wand-waving and incantations wouldn’t work out well for me, so-snarky professor or not-I think Potions would actually be my favorite class, especially in the later years when there seems to be some critical thinking and problem-solving involved-I’m thinking, for example, when the sixth-years are given a complex mixture of poisons and have to come up with an antidote for the whole thing. I also think I’d enjoy Defense Against the Dark Arts, since a lot of it (Occlumency, resisting the Imperius Curse, summoning a Patronus) is about mental self-control. I’m very good at thinking outside the box, as they say, so I’d like to think one of those would be my best subject, but as I’m studying animal behavior, I’d probably do alright in Care of Magical Creatures, too.
11.) In real life, which courses are/were your favorites? Which did you excel at? Which left you bored? My favorite classes were ones that involved critical thinking, especially ones that required opinions rather than the “right answer,” so I did really well in English all through school, and I’ve always done well in foreign languages. In college, my favorite classes were (sadly) my electives: philosophy, religion, film analysis, and the like. I’m good at thinking in new ways, so I did pretty well in economics (though I wouldn’t call it my best or my favorite), and I enjoyed chemistry significantly more than I should have, considering my grades for the first half… The worst subjects were math and statistics classes-with the notable exception of Calculus I, which was the only math class I ever enjoyed. I also had a severe love-hate relationship with history, because I really enjoyed learning about events and understanding why they happened, but can’t remember names or dates to save my life.
12.) You're preparing for your first year and the next stop is Ollivander's. What kind of wand do you see yourself being assigned? (Use your imagination, or for a little more information see here.)
I found a page online that does a very good job talking about the “Celtic Tree Zodiac” (said zodiac being of dubious origin, but anyway…), and the page referring specifically to my birthday is here:
http://www.novareinna.com/constellation/ash.html
(The whole thing is interesting, but I’ll summarize. There’s also a section at the bottom that breaks the month into quarters: If you’re interested, I’m in the March 1st-10th quarter).
According to this zodiac, I should have an ash wand, and I think that’s fairly accurate… The ash is closely associated with protection, which appeals to me; I am strongly hesitant to let people really “in,” but someone I’ve allowed close to me can rest assured that I will be fiercely protective of them. While thankfully it’s never been tested, I am fairly certain that-even though it goes against my, shall we say, “brain morals”-my heart would compel me to kill to protect someone I love. This site says something about the tenacity of the ash…tenacity is a word that suits me, although plain stubbornness certainly applies, too…
What probably most appeals to me is the ash’s association with duality, as duality is a major part of my personality: I’m bisexual, and I’m often mistaken for a bipolar (in case you’re wondering, I’ve never been diagnosed with any psychological disorder); I’m normally the type that just doesn’t stress, but under the right pressure I immediately go from completely unstressed to stressed out of my mind; I have a large helping of that young and wide-eyed idealism that makes me an obligatory flaming liberal, but at the same time I can come across as entirely too jaded and cynical for someone who’s been on this planet barely more than two decades; I am highly adaptable to new rules, new places, and new people, but I’m so good at playing whatever part that suits the moment that I sometimes think it borders on manipulation and deception-if I’m in a bad mood, I find myself wondering if this chameleon tendency has caused me to create so many personas (persona, despite what you might think, actually means “mask,” by the way) that I’ve ceased to exist underneath all the constructed layers [and people wonder why I like Snape so much…]; I am often pegged as an extrovert, but I don’t see myself that way: I talk a lot, it’s true, but if I want I can go for hours learning all about the people around me and offering only the bare minimum about myself-but in enough words that it seems like I’ve given equally to the conversation. I naturally evoke the confidence of others-and am genuinely grateful for their trust, and would not abuse it-but all the same, people tend not to notice that I almost never extend my own trust in return. There’s also the ash’s association with water-which, as a Pisces, suits me, but also continues the theme of duality: I love water, especially fresh water, but am terrified of drowning.
As for a core, I’d have to go with dragon heartstring: Just the idea of “heartstrings” evokes ideas of passion, of heart-centered emotions, and that appeals to me. Also, dragons are powerful and ferocious-especially when protecting something (ask that Hungarian Horntail!)-but they also have that reptilian, muscular grace to their movements (or, at least, I imagine they do) that reminds me of the effortless movement of water-and again, we find another duality, of water and fire. I can’t even help it…
As for length… I like 11 inches. Long enough to be more impressive than waiving a pencil at somebody, short enough not to be unwieldy…and I like prime numbers.
13.) Confronted with a boggart, what form would it take? Feel free to elaborate as to your fears in general. If we were just going for your run-of-the-mill phobia, I’d say a boggart would turn into a swarm of really big, angry wasps… *shudder* But really, my worst fear? Hmm…
Without going into more detail than I’d like, let’s just say that, after some rather complicated problems in my family, my uncle committed suicide when I was about 11, and I thought it was my fault. Today, while I know it wasn’t “all my fault,” as I once thought, I still have to accept that, like everyone else in my family, I played a part in what happened, although of course none of it went the way I would have liked. Anyway, my uncle didn’t leave any sort of suicide note, so I’m not sure I’ll ever know what terms we were on, in the end, so I suppose my boggart would be him telling me that he blamed me, and that he hated me.
14.) You stand in front of the Mirror of Erised. What do you see?
If I said I’d see myself…seeing myself in the Mirror, just as I am, would that make any sense? I don’t particularly want to be different; I just want to be happy with who I am.
15.) You've learned to produce a full Patronus - corporeal and everything. What form does it take? Big cats are, by far, my favorite animals, and no cat protects his turf like a lion-that, and some of my happiest memories involve lions-so I imagine that’s what it would be. Definitely a male, though; I just don’t have the same associations with lionesses.
16.) What's one thing you would do if you knew you would suffer no consequences from it? ? Be famous? I’d love to be an actor, or a writer, and I really think I could make it if I devoted the time and energy to it that I do to my school, but beyond the fact that it’s so hard to make it “in the business,” I just don’t think I could handle fame: I believe I could be good-hell, let’s go out on a limb and say I could be great-but I think the spotlight burns a little too bright for me.
17.) Is blood really thicker than water? Who takes priority in your life - family or friends? You will always owe your family something, especially your immediate family, who are responsible for bringing you into this world and keeping you in it until you’re old enough for it to be your own problem. I’m all for altruism and random acts of kindness, but when push comes to shove kin and kind come first-but a select few friends can earn their way into being family without being blood, and, by the same token, if you don’t do right by your family, you might find yourself rightly exempt from the benefits of being a part of that family.
18.) Love is a common theme in the books, as is death. Which do you consider the greater motivator: the power of love, or the fear of death? They say love can drive out fear, so I think love is always stronger. I look at Snape, for example, and see someone who was dominated by his own fears and doubts, but out of love-and not even particularly selfless love-he managed to become stronger than his fears. Snape may have been a coward when he was young, but I think he learned that love can make anyone courageous. In the end, even grossly imperfect love is what made Snape the bravest person in the lot.
19.) Transfiguration is your forte, let's say. As an animagus, what form would you take? What does that animal represent to you? Again, I’ve got a thing for big cats. I’d see myself as a leopard: I haven’t quite got the build for a lion or tiger, and spots suit me better, anyway. Leopards are relatively small as “big cats” go, but they’re very powerful for their size, agile, notably solitary and shy, but notorious for being bad-tempered when they’re treated poorly and downright vicious if they get forced into a corner.
20.) When the time comes to graduate Hogwarts, which career do you see yourself pursuing? I’d be interested in some sort of research position, maybe coming up with new potions at St. Mungo’s: I’d be doing a lot of problem-solving, I’d be in a position where innovativeness and attention to detail are both assets, and whenever I was sick of dealing with people I could go lock myself in my lab.
21.) List three words that you feel sum up the good points of your personality. Define each as it pertains to you.
1. intuitive - I tend to understand what’s going on in a situation, especially the under-the-surface details; I’m very good at reading people; there’s a sort of instinctive quality to the way I solve problems that I know sometimes infuriates people because sometimes things are right “just because,” and I can’t give a better explanation.
2. resourceful - I draw on various areas of knowledge for any situation-everybody thought I was nuts for taking all those random classes I didn’t need, but damned if religion, linguistics, and film analysis didn’t all help me get into grad school; I catch details that the average person might miss-and not just because it might be on the next test; I pay attention, especially to goings-on; I find gossip distasteful, and am not normally one to talk about others, but I’ll certainly remember what I hear and see…; Like Slughorn, I try to form and maintain contacts with useful people: Butter up the secretaries in the administration office (it could be the difference between you getting overrided into that class you want or…not), send interesting science articles to the anatomy prof (who just happens to be the zoology chair)-but I’m genuinely nice, genuinely interested, never a fake or a sycophant. If you’re always noticeably friendly to people, it stands to reason they’ll be friendly to you, too.
3. well-spoken -- Thanks to my mom (a retired English teacher), I have a way with words, a way of making them say precisely what I want them to mean; I’ve always been a strong writer, and I usually have no trouble communicating my thoughts-though it becomes deeply frustrating to me when I do have any difficulty; Socially, I can say without being immodest that honey and venom both roll of my tongue fairly easily, depending on which is needed-although I enjoy the challenge of writing insults in stories just so I can take the time to craft the perfect scathing remark and infuse it with the utmost vitriol at my leisure.
22.) List three words that you feel sum up the bad points of your personality - areas that you feel you could work on. Define each as it pertains to you.
1. arrogant - I try very hard to exercise humility, but sometimes I’m just plain better than someone and I know it. I don’t have a problem with people who aren’t as smart as I am, but it is very hard for me not to think poorly of people who aren’t nearly as smart as they think they are, and I can’t help but feel intellectually superior to the short-sighted and superficial automatons that populate the majority of our society-and indignant that they’re allowed to vote.
2. secretive - Generally speaking, my internal world is no one else’s business, especially as far as emotions are concerned; I’m very good, as I’ve mentioned before, at putting up personas so that I fit better into any environment-I’m adept at “playing the part” that the situation requires, going so far as seeming less capable than I am in order to elicit help from another-I will never play any role, however, that requires I come across as any less intelligent than I am; While I never completely fabricate the truth, I am rather good at little white lies, and a master of omission.
3. moody - While I’m not actually bipolar, I can understand why I might be mistaken as such: In my highs I am friendly, creative, energetic, and drawn to social gatherings, but in my lows I’m sleepy, sullen, short-tempered, pessimistic, and strongly antisocial-“full of piss and vinegar,” as my mother so eloquently puts it; when I’m in a bad mood, I become self-centered, unsympathetic, and defensive, and I realize when I’m “in a mood” I can be very difficult to deal with.
23.) Describe each house and their characteristics as you see them. No bashing. You must have at least one good comment about each.
Gryffindor: Gryffindors, first and foremost, are daring: They are courageous, innovative, and confident. While they can come across as arrogant and self-righteous, at times, their boldness makes them good allies. They make for excellent “big brother” types, as they are warm and welcoming to newcomers. They can be a bit rash, at times, but when they work in groups one’s lack of foresight will be cancelled out by the others he’s with.
Ravenclaw: This House values wit best-all varieties. They are known for being “smart,” but Ravenclaws value all kinds of intelligence-whether it’s book learning, philosophical reasoning, or even a clever sense of humor. They can sometimes come across like they operate on a different level, and sometimes they suffer from the “ivory tower” syndrome, coming across as though they view the world as though they’re above and beyond it, rather than a part of it. They are rarely ever overtly hurtful, but a scorned Ravenclaw is a thing best never encountered-an angry Ravenclaw won’t pull any punches, so to speak.
Hufflepuff: The Hufflepuffs are always described as loyal; while they might not be as showy about their courage as are Gryffindors, people in this House will hazard all and come to the rescue for a friend in need. They value fairness, but don’t always agree what that means-so some Hufflepuffs will be stubbornly insistent about everybody playing by the rules, while others might “fudge” the rules a little just so no one gets beaten too badly-it’s the whole “letter of the law versus spirit of the law” thing.
Slytherin: Slytherin, more than any other House, has a bad rep to deal with (although that “stick everybody who doesn’t fit somewhere else in Hufflepuff” thing is a little unfair, too). True, this House has earned some trouble from its association with pureblood ideology, and Slytherins can sometimes be self-serving and cowardly. But this House is filled with survivors-its members each know their own strengths and how to use them, and they have the will and determination to reach the goals they set for themselves. Slytherins are slightly more likely than others to be fair-weather friends, but they’ll be up front about it, and those who are true friends are deeply dependable.
24.) Someone pokes their head into your Pensieve - what's one of the first memories they would see? Well, that depends on what I’m doing with a Pensieve. If, like Snape, I’m using it to stow away memories I don’t want anyone to see-and I’d rather not see, myself-they’d be all the memories of my uncle, as well as some of the choicer moments when I was bullied as a kid.
If, on the other hand, the Pensieve is for storing memories I’d like to look at more often, they’d be memories of time spent with my friends, and trips I went on-especially field trips. I miss those.
25.) If you were of age would you put your name in the Goblet of Fire? If so, what do you think would make you a good Hogwarts champion? Ha, no. I may be bold in what I think and say, willing to put my credibility on the line for my art or my ideas, but when it comes to my physical safety, I’m rather a monstrous coward. Eternal glory be damned; I’ll keep my limbs.
26.) The Marauders prided themselves on being pranksters, especially dealing with one Severus Snape. In general, are pranks harmless fun? How far is too far? I was never pranked on, really, as a kid, but I was definitely picked on and just plain bullied by my classmates. I think the Marauders were pranksters to the point of being bullies, so I’d say they went too far: Harboring a deep-seated dislike for a classmate is sufficient cause for rivalry, and name-calling and the like is juvenile but understandable (and elaborate fantasies for revenge, which are only slightly more mature but much more fulfilling, are equally understandable). As for pranks themselves, when I was a kid we always pulled pranks on our friends, and always in good fun; I don’t think you should ever pull a prank on somebody if they won’t be able to laugh at it with you.
27.) You've been granted the ability to create one magical charm, potion, or incantation to either better serve the world or yourself. What is the name of your creation, and what does it do? The Chimaera Charm; the charm is a sort of glamoury cast on a small object (like a small stone or a ring, for example), altering the appearance (rather than reality) of the clothing of the person carrying or wearing that object. The person who has this charm cast on an object with him will appear, to someone else, to be part of the onlooker’s “group”-at Hogwarts, for example, a student wearing the Chimaera Charm will always appear to be in the same House as the person looking at him. For the charm to work, however, you have to add the different “looks” you want to your repertoire-you’d have to hold the Chimaera object in your free hand, point your wand at the uniform you want (or someone wearing it) and say an incantation to invoke the charm (Persona chimaerae, let’s say), as well as an incantation that represents that specific outfit. The problem with this charm is that, if people from two different “groups” see you at the same time, they’ll see two different things-which might eventually become apparent to everyone else.
To solve that problem, if you like, you can make it so you appear the same way to everyone-let’s say, for example, you wanted to look like you were a Gryffindor for the moment: You would first “acquire” the Gryffindor uniform by finding one and using the Chimaera Charm and then establishing your own invocation specific to the Gryffindor robes-let’s say, Chimaera leonis. You would then appear to everyone to be wearing Gryffindor robes. The usual, finite incantatem, would turn off the charm-as would removing the charmed object from your person. The charm only works for clothing and accessories-if you’ve acquired it, Prefects will see a Prefect badge on your robes, for example.
28.) If you died, would you want to come back as a ghost? Why or why not? Definitely not. I’m not in any hurry to see what’s beyond the veil, but I wouldn’t want to stay here forever, either. When it’s time to move forward, it’s time.
29.) Hermione has asked you to support S.P.E.W. (read: flagged you down and cornered you with a box of buttons that she shakes in your face to "entice" you to join). What is your response? “I’m interested in rights for House-Elves, but I’m not interested in forcing rights down their gullets.” Hermione’s approach to Elf freedom would be like someone who’s Pro-Choice telling a woman she’s oppressed if she’s never had an abortion, and urging her to go get one-and when that doesn’t work, trying to get her a surprise abortion. It’s just…weird…
30.) You have one day to live. How do you spend your last day alive? Mend any sore spots with the people I love, and-how do they put it?-see that all my affairs are in order. I don’t want to leave anyone hanging on my unfinished business.
Extra - Do not include anything Harry Potter related!
31.) Hobbies? Listening to just about any kind of music, although I particularly like film scores and show tunes; playing piano, mandolin, fiddle; singing in choirs; writing (normally original fiction and non-fiction, although I wrote my first fan-fiction this summer); video games, especially strategy; drawing; film and theatre
32.) Favorite books? Ishmael (Daniel Quinn); Siddhartha (Herman Hesse); Jonathan Livingston Seagull, Illusions: Confessions of a Reluctant Messiah (Richard Bach); A Primate's Memoir (Robert Sapolsky); The Crow (J. O'Barr); The Hellbound Heart (Clive Barker); The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings trilogy (J. R. R. Tolkien); Les jeux sont faits, Huis clos (Jean-Paul Sartre); La chute (Albert Camus); Le petit prince (Antoine de St. Exupery); Le fantome de l'opera (Gaston Leroux); Sandman, American Gods (Neil Gaiman), The Chronicles of Narnia series, The Great Divorce, The Problem of Pain, A Grief Observed (C. S. Lewis); Legacy of Love (Arun Gandhi); The Prophet (Kahlil Gibran); Grace and Grit, A Theory of Everything (Ken Wilber); Skulduggery Pleasant (Derek Landy), Phantom (Susan Kay)
33.) Favorite movie and/or TV show? I don’t really watch TV, but I like Jon Stewart, and Inside the Actors Studio, if I happen to see them. Favorite movies would take entirely too long to list, but a few of them, in no particular order, would be: The Yellow Submarine, The Silence of the Lambs, Red Dragon, Edward Scissorhands, Dogma, Nightmare Before Christmas, Gandhi, Amadeus, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Bram Stoker's Dracula, The Lord of the Rings trilogy (again), The Crow (again), Kingdom Hospital (technically a miniseries), The Boondock Saints, Pay it Forward, Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle, Rear Window, Apocalypse Now, Pan's Labyrinth, Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy, Immortal Beloved, Powder, The Constant Gardener, The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Disney), Big Fish, Swimming with Sharks, V for Vendetta.
34.) Favorite characters? Daria, Wyle E. Coyote, Pepe le Pew, Lex Luthor (as played by Gene Hackman or Kevin Spacey), Scar, Hannibal Lecter, Gollum, Erik/the Phantom of the Opera (either Leroux’s or Kay’s version; I like Andrew Lloyd Webber’s music but don’t care much for his interpretation of the character), The Metatron (from Dogma), Skulduggery Pleasant (from the book of the same name).
35.) Favorite quote? I have two:
"I do dimly perceive that whilst everything around me is ever-changing, ever-dying, there is underlying all that change a living power that is changeless, that holds all together, that creates, dissolves, and re-creates. That informing power or spirit is God... For I can see that in the midst of death, life persists; in the midst of untruth, truth persists; in the midst of darkness, light persists. Hence I gather that God is life, truth, light."
~Mohandas K. Gandhi
"Society often forgives the criminal; it never forgives the dreamer."
~Oscar Wilde
36.)What actual profession are you currently involved in, pursuing, or planning to pursue? I graduated with a BS in psychology, minor in zoology; I’m in my first year of my MA in evolutionary psychology, with an emphasis in animal behavior, and I’m working at a zoo, where I’ll be doing the research for my thesis. Ultimately, I want to get a PhD in animal behavior, and work with zoos implementing and running enrichment programs for the animals. That, or, due to some fluke with my writing, inadvertently become rich and famous ;)
37.) How did you hear about us? Is anyone recommending you [10 points for referring]? I was referred by starbucks5721.
38.) Anything else you feel we should know before the sorting begins? I’m glad you took the question about which House we thought we belonged in off the questionnaire; I’m interested in seeing what you think without that.
Thanks for taking the time to read this monstrosity, and I’ll look forward to getting feedback from all of you =)
Name: Lauren
Age: 22
Gender: F
Astrological Sign: Pisces / Wood Ox
1.) How did you first hear about “Harry Potter”? What were your first thoughts and reactions to the idea, series, or movies? Well, I know a lot of my friends were reading the books when I was in late middle school, early high school, something like that. But I was one of those kids that thought it was important not to do cool things because “everybody else” was doing them…so I resisted Harry Potter on principle. I think I saw the first movie about a year after it came out, and thought it was a cute idea, but otherwise wasn’t really interested. When I was a sophomore in college, though, one of my best friends bought me the first book and asked me to read it-just to trust him. So, I did, and I thought-as I had with the movie-that it was okay; I liked the book better than the movie, though, because I enjoyed the detail in Rowling’s world. Over the next few years, I occasionally would pick up the next book in the series and read it. When Half-Blood Prince came out, I don’t think I’d even finished reading Goblet of Fire yet, so I barricaded myself away from my roommates-all of whom were sitting around reading the new book. A little over a year ago-maybe a couple weeks before HBP came out in paperback in the US-I was interning for the summer in Washington, D.C., and I was bored one afternoon, so I went and bought the book…and sat up all night reading it. I mean, I had really enjoyed the fifth book (aside from being constantly indignant because of it), but it wasn’t until the sixth that I genuinely got hooked by the series. So…I, the ever-hesitant Harry Potter fan, turned quietly obsessive in time for the fifth movie and seventh book to come out right after I graduated… So, here I am, a Harry Potter fan several years in the making, and anxious to be Sorted.
2.) What about the books appeals to you? Why do you feel that you enjoy them? I like that the books have a very light-hearted humor to them-I mean, really, there’s just a lot of silliness. But it is so important to be able to look at the world and laugh, so I think that’s a wonderful thing. But also, in a strange way, I like the ever-present theme of death that pervades the whole series, because that’s an important lesson, too: All things have their season, and all things must pass when it is there time. Part of life is learning not to be afraid of change or transition, even that big transition from life into…whatever lies beyond the veil. And, of course, love-“the greatest thing you’ll ever learn…” and all that. Love is the best of ourselves.
My favorite thing about the series, though, is how it evolves in complexity as the main characters age, beginning with troubles suitable for a (rather extraordinary) 11 year-old, and growing and developing until the story is very, very mature, and very applicable to the troubles of even an adult in our own world.
3.) Which book do you consider to be your favorite of the series? At my first go, I liked Half-Blood Prince best, by far: I think it was the first one that made me feel like I was under pressure as much as the main characters, and I was intrigued by this business of “the Prince”-and I still can’t believe I didn’t guess who he was! When I finished HBP, I gave it a rest for a day, and then picked it up and read it again--just to catch details I might have missed. I particularly liked rereading the scene at Spinner’s End near the beginning of the book, reading over the little details Rowling put in about characters’ body language and such, and thinking about why they behaved the way they did… Order of the Phoenix and Deathly Hallows are tied for second, for me, since I just really enjoyed the stories, the character development, the political/historical stuff…all very interesting.
4.) Which book do you consider to be your least favorite of the series? Chamber of Secrets, definitely; Gilderoy Lockhart was infuriating, but every now and then I managed to laugh at him, but I just didn’t really find the mystery of the Chamber intriguing, the story felt slow, and I just didn’t think there was much terribly interesting character development, either.
5.) Which quote do you regard as your favorite from either the book or movies? I’m afraid I don’t have my books with me right now-I loaned them to my mom so she can start reading them-so I’m going off memory. I like what Dumbledore says about making the choice between what is right and what is easy; and, on a related vein, I also like Sirius Black’s line about the world not being split into good people and Death Eaters-how there is good and evil inside each of us, and it’s the choices we make that define us. I believe that life-that I-have no inherent purpose or “meaning,” no intrinsic definition; I am defined by the choices I make, and so I am neither “good” nor “evil,” but-if anything-my choices are. I can choose what my life will represent, so that no matter how my story ends, whether I live and die for something or for nothing will be entirely up to me.
6.) Favorite character? Severus Snape, without question. When I first saw the movie, I found him slightly annoying, to be honest-I sat there thinking, “They keep wanting me to think he’s the bad guy, but it’s too obvious. These kids are dumb, and this Snape guy is some kind of tool hackneyed plot device.” But when I read the books, I just became completely intrigued by him. I think he, by far, is the most interesting character, because there are just so many levels to him, and so many different personas he has to maintain from one moment to the next. I never doubted him, even after the end of HBP-I knew he must have been under orders from Dumbledore, and, in any case, there was the problem of his Unbreakable Vow… While I waited for Deathly Hallows to come out, I was seriously worried about Snape-I mean physically stressed over him. I don’t think I’ve ever felt that kind of empathy for a character before, so I give credit to Rowling for crafting a character so complete that I sometimes catch myself thinking of him as a real person, as someone I know.
I also like that Snape is never fully redeemed-I mean, we finally learn (as some of us suspected) that, in keeping with the books’ two main themes of love and death, Snape did everything for love. But (and this is what I like) we see that his love was not particularly saintly: He was childish, and selfish, and arrogant-but arrogant because really he was so self-conscious (superiority complexes tend to be inferiority complexes in disguise, after all). He never really was good or bad, because he was only ever on Lily’s side: He became a Death Eater because he thought allying himself with someone strong would make him seem strong by proxy (to impress Lily?); he turned spy only because that was the “price” he thought would buy Dumbledore’s protection for Lily; and he only continued to put himself at dire risk and, ultimately, died a “secret good guy” for Lily’s memory. So, I like Snape because he’s complex-and because he fits my favorite quotes very well.
And, c’mon, Snape’s got such a sharp tongue getting insulted by him could be considered “assault with a deadly weapon.” That’s hot.
7.) Least favorite character? Dolores Umbridge initially made me rankle the most-I mean, I think I growled and gritted my teeth through most of my first read of OotP. On further reflection, though, I realize I don’t hate her the most: I sincerely despise Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy. True, we never see them do anything truly diabolical, like murder in cold blood-they’re just school yard bullies that only “grew up” in the sense that they grew older-but the Malfoys are Machiavellian, power-hungry cowards, which I despise far more than outright monsters. Again, it comes back to the choice between what’s right and what’s easy-hell, even Umbridge and Bellatrix are genuinely doing what, in their screwy morals, is “right”-but the Malfoys just do what they think will save their skin from one moment to the next. I feel a little bad for Draco, though; his parents made him into the person he is-I don’t think he would’ve been a “bad guy” if he’d felt he had the strength to be different. Once again, what’s right and what’s easy…
8.) Out of the entire Potter-universe, what creature(s) are your favorite? While I don’t “like” them, per se, I think the most interesting creatures are boggarts: There’s a lot to be said for facing your fears, and I think the Potter-universe’s advice that the best way to rid yourself of your fears is to face them with laughter is great advice, indeed.
9.) Are you a fan of the movies? If so, which is your favorite and why? If not, how do you feel about them? What makes you dislike them? Eh, the movies are fun on their own, but I feel like they just skim the top layer off the books and present it without any of the real substance that makes the books so interesting. Thus far, though, Order of the Phoenix has actually been my favorite movie. I have a lot of complaints about things that got left out, but on the whole I felt it did the best job of presenting the dual themes of love and death that form the backbone of the whole series (That, and the wizard battle in the Ministry was just plain cool).
10.) Out of the listed Hogwarts courses in canon, which do you feel would be your favorite class to attend? Your best class? I’m not much for memorization, so I feel like wand-waving and incantations wouldn’t work out well for me, so-snarky professor or not-I think Potions would actually be my favorite class, especially in the later years when there seems to be some critical thinking and problem-solving involved-I’m thinking, for example, when the sixth-years are given a complex mixture of poisons and have to come up with an antidote for the whole thing. I also think I’d enjoy Defense Against the Dark Arts, since a lot of it (Occlumency, resisting the Imperius Curse, summoning a Patronus) is about mental self-control. I’m very good at thinking outside the box, as they say, so I’d like to think one of those would be my best subject, but as I’m studying animal behavior, I’d probably do alright in Care of Magical Creatures, too.
11.) In real life, which courses are/were your favorites? Which did you excel at? Which left you bored? My favorite classes were ones that involved critical thinking, especially ones that required opinions rather than the “right answer,” so I did really well in English all through school, and I’ve always done well in foreign languages. In college, my favorite classes were (sadly) my electives: philosophy, religion, film analysis, and the like. I’m good at thinking in new ways, so I did pretty well in economics (though I wouldn’t call it my best or my favorite), and I enjoyed chemistry significantly more than I should have, considering my grades for the first half… The worst subjects were math and statistics classes-with the notable exception of Calculus I, which was the only math class I ever enjoyed. I also had a severe love-hate relationship with history, because I really enjoyed learning about events and understanding why they happened, but can’t remember names or dates to save my life.
12.) You're preparing for your first year and the next stop is Ollivander's. What kind of wand do you see yourself being assigned? (Use your imagination, or for a little more information see here.)
I found a page online that does a very good job talking about the “Celtic Tree Zodiac” (said zodiac being of dubious origin, but anyway…), and the page referring specifically to my birthday is here:
http://www.novareinna.com/constellation/ash.html
(The whole thing is interesting, but I’ll summarize. There’s also a section at the bottom that breaks the month into quarters: If you’re interested, I’m in the March 1st-10th quarter).
According to this zodiac, I should have an ash wand, and I think that’s fairly accurate… The ash is closely associated with protection, which appeals to me; I am strongly hesitant to let people really “in,” but someone I’ve allowed close to me can rest assured that I will be fiercely protective of them. While thankfully it’s never been tested, I am fairly certain that-even though it goes against my, shall we say, “brain morals”-my heart would compel me to kill to protect someone I love. This site says something about the tenacity of the ash…tenacity is a word that suits me, although plain stubbornness certainly applies, too…
What probably most appeals to me is the ash’s association with duality, as duality is a major part of my personality: I’m bisexual, and I’m often mistaken for a bipolar (in case you’re wondering, I’ve never been diagnosed with any psychological disorder); I’m normally the type that just doesn’t stress, but under the right pressure I immediately go from completely unstressed to stressed out of my mind; I have a large helping of that young and wide-eyed idealism that makes me an obligatory flaming liberal, but at the same time I can come across as entirely too jaded and cynical for someone who’s been on this planet barely more than two decades; I am highly adaptable to new rules, new places, and new people, but I’m so good at playing whatever part that suits the moment that I sometimes think it borders on manipulation and deception-if I’m in a bad mood, I find myself wondering if this chameleon tendency has caused me to create so many personas (persona, despite what you might think, actually means “mask,” by the way) that I’ve ceased to exist underneath all the constructed layers [and people wonder why I like Snape so much…]; I am often pegged as an extrovert, but I don’t see myself that way: I talk a lot, it’s true, but if I want I can go for hours learning all about the people around me and offering only the bare minimum about myself-but in enough words that it seems like I’ve given equally to the conversation. I naturally evoke the confidence of others-and am genuinely grateful for their trust, and would not abuse it-but all the same, people tend not to notice that I almost never extend my own trust in return. There’s also the ash’s association with water-which, as a Pisces, suits me, but also continues the theme of duality: I love water, especially fresh water, but am terrified of drowning.
As for a core, I’d have to go with dragon heartstring: Just the idea of “heartstrings” evokes ideas of passion, of heart-centered emotions, and that appeals to me. Also, dragons are powerful and ferocious-especially when protecting something (ask that Hungarian Horntail!)-but they also have that reptilian, muscular grace to their movements (or, at least, I imagine they do) that reminds me of the effortless movement of water-and again, we find another duality, of water and fire. I can’t even help it…
As for length… I like 11 inches. Long enough to be more impressive than waiving a pencil at somebody, short enough not to be unwieldy…and I like prime numbers.
13.) Confronted with a boggart, what form would it take? Feel free to elaborate as to your fears in general. If we were just going for your run-of-the-mill phobia, I’d say a boggart would turn into a swarm of really big, angry wasps… *shudder* But really, my worst fear? Hmm…
Without going into more detail than I’d like, let’s just say that, after some rather complicated problems in my family, my uncle committed suicide when I was about 11, and I thought it was my fault. Today, while I know it wasn’t “all my fault,” as I once thought, I still have to accept that, like everyone else in my family, I played a part in what happened, although of course none of it went the way I would have liked. Anyway, my uncle didn’t leave any sort of suicide note, so I’m not sure I’ll ever know what terms we were on, in the end, so I suppose my boggart would be him telling me that he blamed me, and that he hated me.
14.) You stand in front of the Mirror of Erised. What do you see?
If I said I’d see myself…seeing myself in the Mirror, just as I am, would that make any sense? I don’t particularly want to be different; I just want to be happy with who I am.
15.) You've learned to produce a full Patronus - corporeal and everything. What form does it take? Big cats are, by far, my favorite animals, and no cat protects his turf like a lion-that, and some of my happiest memories involve lions-so I imagine that’s what it would be. Definitely a male, though; I just don’t have the same associations with lionesses.
16.) What's one thing you would do if you knew you would suffer no consequences from it? ? Be famous? I’d love to be an actor, or a writer, and I really think I could make it if I devoted the time and energy to it that I do to my school, but beyond the fact that it’s so hard to make it “in the business,” I just don’t think I could handle fame: I believe I could be good-hell, let’s go out on a limb and say I could be great-but I think the spotlight burns a little too bright for me.
17.) Is blood really thicker than water? Who takes priority in your life - family or friends? You will always owe your family something, especially your immediate family, who are responsible for bringing you into this world and keeping you in it until you’re old enough for it to be your own problem. I’m all for altruism and random acts of kindness, but when push comes to shove kin and kind come first-but a select few friends can earn their way into being family without being blood, and, by the same token, if you don’t do right by your family, you might find yourself rightly exempt from the benefits of being a part of that family.
18.) Love is a common theme in the books, as is death. Which do you consider the greater motivator: the power of love, or the fear of death? They say love can drive out fear, so I think love is always stronger. I look at Snape, for example, and see someone who was dominated by his own fears and doubts, but out of love-and not even particularly selfless love-he managed to become stronger than his fears. Snape may have been a coward when he was young, but I think he learned that love can make anyone courageous. In the end, even grossly imperfect love is what made Snape the bravest person in the lot.
19.) Transfiguration is your forte, let's say. As an animagus, what form would you take? What does that animal represent to you? Again, I’ve got a thing for big cats. I’d see myself as a leopard: I haven’t quite got the build for a lion or tiger, and spots suit me better, anyway. Leopards are relatively small as “big cats” go, but they’re very powerful for their size, agile, notably solitary and shy, but notorious for being bad-tempered when they’re treated poorly and downright vicious if they get forced into a corner.
20.) When the time comes to graduate Hogwarts, which career do you see yourself pursuing? I’d be interested in some sort of research position, maybe coming up with new potions at St. Mungo’s: I’d be doing a lot of problem-solving, I’d be in a position where innovativeness and attention to detail are both assets, and whenever I was sick of dealing with people I could go lock myself in my lab.
21.) List three words that you feel sum up the good points of your personality. Define each as it pertains to you.
1. intuitive - I tend to understand what’s going on in a situation, especially the under-the-surface details; I’m very good at reading people; there’s a sort of instinctive quality to the way I solve problems that I know sometimes infuriates people because sometimes things are right “just because,” and I can’t give a better explanation.
2. resourceful - I draw on various areas of knowledge for any situation-everybody thought I was nuts for taking all those random classes I didn’t need, but damned if religion, linguistics, and film analysis didn’t all help me get into grad school; I catch details that the average person might miss-and not just because it might be on the next test; I pay attention, especially to goings-on; I find gossip distasteful, and am not normally one to talk about others, but I’ll certainly remember what I hear and see…; Like Slughorn, I try to form and maintain contacts with useful people: Butter up the secretaries in the administration office (it could be the difference between you getting overrided into that class you want or…not), send interesting science articles to the anatomy prof (who just happens to be the zoology chair)-but I’m genuinely nice, genuinely interested, never a fake or a sycophant. If you’re always noticeably friendly to people, it stands to reason they’ll be friendly to you, too.
3. well-spoken -- Thanks to my mom (a retired English teacher), I have a way with words, a way of making them say precisely what I want them to mean; I’ve always been a strong writer, and I usually have no trouble communicating my thoughts-though it becomes deeply frustrating to me when I do have any difficulty; Socially, I can say without being immodest that honey and venom both roll of my tongue fairly easily, depending on which is needed-although I enjoy the challenge of writing insults in stories just so I can take the time to craft the perfect scathing remark and infuse it with the utmost vitriol at my leisure.
22.) List three words that you feel sum up the bad points of your personality - areas that you feel you could work on. Define each as it pertains to you.
1. arrogant - I try very hard to exercise humility, but sometimes I’m just plain better than someone and I know it. I don’t have a problem with people who aren’t as smart as I am, but it is very hard for me not to think poorly of people who aren’t nearly as smart as they think they are, and I can’t help but feel intellectually superior to the short-sighted and superficial automatons that populate the majority of our society-and indignant that they’re allowed to vote.
2. secretive - Generally speaking, my internal world is no one else’s business, especially as far as emotions are concerned; I’m very good, as I’ve mentioned before, at putting up personas so that I fit better into any environment-I’m adept at “playing the part” that the situation requires, going so far as seeming less capable than I am in order to elicit help from another-I will never play any role, however, that requires I come across as any less intelligent than I am; While I never completely fabricate the truth, I am rather good at little white lies, and a master of omission.
3. moody - While I’m not actually bipolar, I can understand why I might be mistaken as such: In my highs I am friendly, creative, energetic, and drawn to social gatherings, but in my lows I’m sleepy, sullen, short-tempered, pessimistic, and strongly antisocial-“full of piss and vinegar,” as my mother so eloquently puts it; when I’m in a bad mood, I become self-centered, unsympathetic, and defensive, and I realize when I’m “in a mood” I can be very difficult to deal with.
23.) Describe each house and their characteristics as you see them. No bashing. You must have at least one good comment about each.
Gryffindor: Gryffindors, first and foremost, are daring: They are courageous, innovative, and confident. While they can come across as arrogant and self-righteous, at times, their boldness makes them good allies. They make for excellent “big brother” types, as they are warm and welcoming to newcomers. They can be a bit rash, at times, but when they work in groups one’s lack of foresight will be cancelled out by the others he’s with.
Ravenclaw: This House values wit best-all varieties. They are known for being “smart,” but Ravenclaws value all kinds of intelligence-whether it’s book learning, philosophical reasoning, or even a clever sense of humor. They can sometimes come across like they operate on a different level, and sometimes they suffer from the “ivory tower” syndrome, coming across as though they view the world as though they’re above and beyond it, rather than a part of it. They are rarely ever overtly hurtful, but a scorned Ravenclaw is a thing best never encountered-an angry Ravenclaw won’t pull any punches, so to speak.
Hufflepuff: The Hufflepuffs are always described as loyal; while they might not be as showy about their courage as are Gryffindors, people in this House will hazard all and come to the rescue for a friend in need. They value fairness, but don’t always agree what that means-so some Hufflepuffs will be stubbornly insistent about everybody playing by the rules, while others might “fudge” the rules a little just so no one gets beaten too badly-it’s the whole “letter of the law versus spirit of the law” thing.
Slytherin: Slytherin, more than any other House, has a bad rep to deal with (although that “stick everybody who doesn’t fit somewhere else in Hufflepuff” thing is a little unfair, too). True, this House has earned some trouble from its association with pureblood ideology, and Slytherins can sometimes be self-serving and cowardly. But this House is filled with survivors-its members each know their own strengths and how to use them, and they have the will and determination to reach the goals they set for themselves. Slytherins are slightly more likely than others to be fair-weather friends, but they’ll be up front about it, and those who are true friends are deeply dependable.
24.) Someone pokes their head into your Pensieve - what's one of the first memories they would see? Well, that depends on what I’m doing with a Pensieve. If, like Snape, I’m using it to stow away memories I don’t want anyone to see-and I’d rather not see, myself-they’d be all the memories of my uncle, as well as some of the choicer moments when I was bullied as a kid.
If, on the other hand, the Pensieve is for storing memories I’d like to look at more often, they’d be memories of time spent with my friends, and trips I went on-especially field trips. I miss those.
25.) If you were of age would you put your name in the Goblet of Fire? If so, what do you think would make you a good Hogwarts champion? Ha, no. I may be bold in what I think and say, willing to put my credibility on the line for my art or my ideas, but when it comes to my physical safety, I’m rather a monstrous coward. Eternal glory be damned; I’ll keep my limbs.
26.) The Marauders prided themselves on being pranksters, especially dealing with one Severus Snape. In general, are pranks harmless fun? How far is too far? I was never pranked on, really, as a kid, but I was definitely picked on and just plain bullied by my classmates. I think the Marauders were pranksters to the point of being bullies, so I’d say they went too far: Harboring a deep-seated dislike for a classmate is sufficient cause for rivalry, and name-calling and the like is juvenile but understandable (and elaborate fantasies for revenge, which are only slightly more mature but much more fulfilling, are equally understandable). As for pranks themselves, when I was a kid we always pulled pranks on our friends, and always in good fun; I don’t think you should ever pull a prank on somebody if they won’t be able to laugh at it with you.
27.) You've been granted the ability to create one magical charm, potion, or incantation to either better serve the world or yourself. What is the name of your creation, and what does it do? The Chimaera Charm; the charm is a sort of glamoury cast on a small object (like a small stone or a ring, for example), altering the appearance (rather than reality) of the clothing of the person carrying or wearing that object. The person who has this charm cast on an object with him will appear, to someone else, to be part of the onlooker’s “group”-at Hogwarts, for example, a student wearing the Chimaera Charm will always appear to be in the same House as the person looking at him. For the charm to work, however, you have to add the different “looks” you want to your repertoire-you’d have to hold the Chimaera object in your free hand, point your wand at the uniform you want (or someone wearing it) and say an incantation to invoke the charm (Persona chimaerae, let’s say), as well as an incantation that represents that specific outfit. The problem with this charm is that, if people from two different “groups” see you at the same time, they’ll see two different things-which might eventually become apparent to everyone else.
To solve that problem, if you like, you can make it so you appear the same way to everyone-let’s say, for example, you wanted to look like you were a Gryffindor for the moment: You would first “acquire” the Gryffindor uniform by finding one and using the Chimaera Charm and then establishing your own invocation specific to the Gryffindor robes-let’s say, Chimaera leonis. You would then appear to everyone to be wearing Gryffindor robes. The usual, finite incantatem, would turn off the charm-as would removing the charmed object from your person. The charm only works for clothing and accessories-if you’ve acquired it, Prefects will see a Prefect badge on your robes, for example.
28.) If you died, would you want to come back as a ghost? Why or why not? Definitely not. I’m not in any hurry to see what’s beyond the veil, but I wouldn’t want to stay here forever, either. When it’s time to move forward, it’s time.
29.) Hermione has asked you to support S.P.E.W. (read: flagged you down and cornered you with a box of buttons that she shakes in your face to "entice" you to join). What is your response? “I’m interested in rights for House-Elves, but I’m not interested in forcing rights down their gullets.” Hermione’s approach to Elf freedom would be like someone who’s Pro-Choice telling a woman she’s oppressed if she’s never had an abortion, and urging her to go get one-and when that doesn’t work, trying to get her a surprise abortion. It’s just…weird…
30.) You have one day to live. How do you spend your last day alive? Mend any sore spots with the people I love, and-how do they put it?-see that all my affairs are in order. I don’t want to leave anyone hanging on my unfinished business.
Extra - Do not include anything Harry Potter related!
31.) Hobbies? Listening to just about any kind of music, although I particularly like film scores and show tunes; playing piano, mandolin, fiddle; singing in choirs; writing (normally original fiction and non-fiction, although I wrote my first fan-fiction this summer); video games, especially strategy; drawing; film and theatre
32.) Favorite books? Ishmael (Daniel Quinn); Siddhartha (Herman Hesse); Jonathan Livingston Seagull, Illusions: Confessions of a Reluctant Messiah (Richard Bach); A Primate's Memoir (Robert Sapolsky); The Crow (J. O'Barr); The Hellbound Heart (Clive Barker); The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings trilogy (J. R. R. Tolkien); Les jeux sont faits, Huis clos (Jean-Paul Sartre); La chute (Albert Camus); Le petit prince (Antoine de St. Exupery); Le fantome de l'opera (Gaston Leroux); Sandman, American Gods (Neil Gaiman), The Chronicles of Narnia series, The Great Divorce, The Problem of Pain, A Grief Observed (C. S. Lewis); Legacy of Love (Arun Gandhi); The Prophet (Kahlil Gibran); Grace and Grit, A Theory of Everything (Ken Wilber); Skulduggery Pleasant (Derek Landy), Phantom (Susan Kay)
33.) Favorite movie and/or TV show? I don’t really watch TV, but I like Jon Stewart, and Inside the Actors Studio, if I happen to see them. Favorite movies would take entirely too long to list, but a few of them, in no particular order, would be: The Yellow Submarine, The Silence of the Lambs, Red Dragon, Edward Scissorhands, Dogma, Nightmare Before Christmas, Gandhi, Amadeus, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Bram Stoker's Dracula, The Lord of the Rings trilogy (again), The Crow (again), Kingdom Hospital (technically a miniseries), The Boondock Saints, Pay it Forward, Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle, Rear Window, Apocalypse Now, Pan's Labyrinth, Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy, Immortal Beloved, Powder, The Constant Gardener, The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Disney), Big Fish, Swimming with Sharks, V for Vendetta.
34.) Favorite characters? Daria, Wyle E. Coyote, Pepe le Pew, Lex Luthor (as played by Gene Hackman or Kevin Spacey), Scar, Hannibal Lecter, Gollum, Erik/the Phantom of the Opera (either Leroux’s or Kay’s version; I like Andrew Lloyd Webber’s music but don’t care much for his interpretation of the character), The Metatron (from Dogma), Skulduggery Pleasant (from the book of the same name).
35.) Favorite quote? I have two:
"I do dimly perceive that whilst everything around me is ever-changing, ever-dying, there is underlying all that change a living power that is changeless, that holds all together, that creates, dissolves, and re-creates. That informing power or spirit is God... For I can see that in the midst of death, life persists; in the midst of untruth, truth persists; in the midst of darkness, light persists. Hence I gather that God is life, truth, light."
~Mohandas K. Gandhi
"Society often forgives the criminal; it never forgives the dreamer."
~Oscar Wilde
36.)What actual profession are you currently involved in, pursuing, or planning to pursue? I graduated with a BS in psychology, minor in zoology; I’m in my first year of my MA in evolutionary psychology, with an emphasis in animal behavior, and I’m working at a zoo, where I’ll be doing the research for my thesis. Ultimately, I want to get a PhD in animal behavior, and work with zoos implementing and running enrichment programs for the animals. That, or, due to some fluke with my writing, inadvertently become rich and famous ;)
37.) How did you hear about us? Is anyone recommending you [10 points for referring]? I was referred by starbucks5721.
38.) Anything else you feel we should know before the sorting begins? I’m glad you took the question about which House we thought we belonged in off the questionnaire; I’m interested in seeing what you think without that.
Thanks for taking the time to read this monstrosity, and I’ll look forward to getting feedback from all of you =)