Do not play fast and loose with my heart.

[caseyistrendy]

• What sort of profession in the wizarding world would you choose and why? Well, this is a bit of a tricky question. I would really fancy something working with magical creatures - like Charlie Weasley. While I'm not so much into the dragon wrasslin' and breeding, I would love to do the same with less aggressive species. Hippogryphs are especially attractive to me - but I doubt they would do well in a captive setting. Maybe an interspecies relations agent? I'm not really sure because I can't think of a profession like this that J.K. Rowling has already described. At any rate, I would just really love to work with animals in the magical world - whether the animals are magical or not. Maybe own a pet shop in Diagon Alley? Hah. Okay. Why would I want to study and work with animals? I imagine it would be a very outdoorsy job - something that suits me well. And, obviously, I love animals. I feel like I can handle them well, having worked with them for years. There's a relationship that you can hold with animals that just isn't possible with human beings.
  
  
• If you could teach one class at Hogwarts, what would it be and why? If you haven't gathered already, I would have to teach Care of Magical Creatures. Clearly, my love of animals would lead me to this. I always thought this was an important, and much underrated, class for Hogwarts students. It helps them to realize that they aren't the only magically endowed creatures in the world. I loved Hagrid's in-your-face-extremely-hands-on method. While I would practice a bit more caution (i.e. getting rid of the textbook that is liable to bite your face off), I think I would teach in the same style. It's hard to really understand an animal just by looking at it. Rather, animals are something you need to experience. Hagrid was really on to something. I would hope to expand upon that.
  
  
• This year, The TriWizard Tournament is being held once again and you're of age. Do you put your name in the Goblet? Why or why not? Oh God, no. I'm not one for eternal fame and glory, plain and simple. It's not that I'm too lazy to face the challenges, or too scared to face them. The whole "possibility of death and severe bodily harm" doesn't put me off. It's just that I would rather work behind the scenes than be in front of the camera. Haven't you ever wondered about who thinks up those challenges? Who thinks up the clues? That's what I would love to be a part of. Designing the maze, setting up the charms. It's so much more intriguing than dashing through multiple challenges - and more rewarding, I think.
  
  
• If you could choose your animagus form, what would it be and why? Ah, this is such a hard question for me. Like I said - big animal freak. I would love to say that I would be a sleek tiger, or a gazelle, or something else that is just ever so beautiful. However, I think if I could pick one animal for my animagus form I would probably pick a polar bear. Yeah - not exactly the picture of grace and elegance, huh? Well, I think it's actually quite the practical choice. An animagus should be an aid to the wizard/witch. For instance, Ms. Skeeter's animagus was very admirable in my mind, considering her career. Likewise, a polar bear would be perfect for subduing unruly magical creatures (idea may be a little bit ala Marauders vs. werewolf friend). And let's be honest - how helpful is a rat or a stag in battle? Not exactly the most formidable creatures.
  
  
• What HP character do you identify with most and why? I would have to say Ginny. Even though she is a lot younger than I am, I feel strongly about our parallels. The way she was able to overcome the adversity surrounding Tom Riddle's diary and the secret chamber was very impressive to me. She came out a stronger person, more sure of herself. I feel this wouldn't be true of most people. How would you feel if you indirectly caused the almost-deaths of several people, some of whom were your friends? Certainly not empowered. Bitter, maybe. Self-conscious, wary. But Ginny overcame all of that and became an important, if not central, character in the following books. I had a time in my life like this - not with a big snake that turned people to stone, obviously, but it was a very dark time for me. I did some things that I seriously regret, but looking back I can see that I would not be the person that I am right now had it not been for those dark times. On a completely different topic, I love the way Rowling balances out Ginny's ability to kick serious arse with her girlish qualities (Arnold?). A lot of her other female characters seem to lack this balance, and I can't relate to them as well. I can take hits as well as deal them, and at the same time pull off a really adorably feminine outfit. I feel Ginny could do the same.
  
  
• What would you see if you looked into the Mirror of Erised? I would see myself as a happily wed mother - and accomplished in my own ideas of life. A little farm, some land, my own veterinary practice. Married to my best guy friend from high school, if it works out that way. I like a good time for now (as well as my hectic New York City life) but I'm all about that little American dream - two and a half kids, a dog, a picket fence. One day I would love to settle down and get all domestic. Silly, yeah, I know.
  
  
• If you won a million dollars, how would you spend it? I would pay off the rest of my college tuition, so my father doesn't have to burden himself with it. I would also set aside a good chunk to get me through grad school. It would be amazing to pay off my friends here at college - God knows how much I owe them. A few thousand I would like to donate to my animal shelter back home, so it can develop a bit. I don't know what I would do with the rest. Savings account, probably. Earn some interest. Also, shopping. I would finally be able to afford some of those sweet outfits in the chic downtown stores.
  
  
• What was your ideal job as a kid? Has that changed? What is your ideal job now? As a kid, I got really interested in James Herriot's series of books. They inspired me to want to be a veterinarian - and that dream still holds true today. Right now, I am in college with pre-veterinary medicine concentration. I hope to one day open a chiropractic and acupunture practice for animals. I am very interested in animal behavior, and how these practices can be used to work with animals that have so-called behavioral problems. Working at an animal shelter for five years showed me the wide range of animal emotion, and the low tolerance people have for it.
  
  
• If you were able to invent one spell, potion, or charm, what would it do, what would you use it for or how would you use it, and what would you call it? One thing that I am wonderful at is talking my way out of situations. However, some people aren't, and I seriously pity them. So I would love to invent a charm called Sophismata, which would allow the person to bluff professionally. They would be able to talk their way out of any argument, but once they have succeeded and the argument is over, the opponent is left to realize that nothing that was said made much sense (but they still feel the urge to accept it). Sophismata is Latin for logical fallacies, hence the name.
  
  
• If you were to face a boggart, what would it turn into? And what does it turn into when you throw the counter-spell, Riddikulus? I know this is absolutely ridiculous, but I am terrified of potato peelers. I start to shake whenever I have to use them, because I am afraid that they will slip and dig deep into my thumb. My boggart would probably be a large one, floating through the air, making slashing movements. The silliest thing, but it scares me. The funny thing is, potatoes are my favorite kind of food. So when I throw that Riddikulus counter-spell, the peeler would turn into a plate of steaming, singing scalloped potatoes.
  
  
• What do you look for in a friend? I look for real people. I am so done with superficial. High school was four years full of fakes and phonies. I sympathize, because I was one of them. I know it's hard to be yourself when everyone is telling you that you have to look a certain way, feel a certain way, act a certain way. I was still able to find genuine people during this time - and they brought out the genuine person in me. They broke the mold of the standard teenage girl. At our sleepovers we played SNES rather than make eachother over. We laughed loudly in the hallway about ridiculous things rather than hang out by the lockers trying to catch every boy that walked by. These are the type of people that I want in my life. People who can laugh about boogers and bad hair days, rather than lament them.
  
  
• What trait most annoys you about other people? The self-righteous and the attention seekers. I don't care what you've done with your life thus far - what school you went to, what school you're going to, what drugs you don't do, what religion you are. You aren't a better person than I am. It's so obnoxious and so middle school. Just because I am modest with my accomplishments, it doesn't mean that I am making room for all of your trophies. The attention seeker thing - I see this a lot on the internet. You know the kids that are "depressed" every day? I just want to shake them and show them that they are wasting years of their life by choosing to live in a black cloud just to be different from others. Don't get me wrong - I'm no Tom Cruise - I believe depression is a real disorder that can be treated. But I'm not talking about that.
  Oh yeah, and really awful grammar makes my face twitch. And by twitch, I mean contort in horror.
  
  
• What do you think are your top five abilities or qualities?
  1. My ability as a good friend - I may not be there on a day-to-day basis, but when my friends really need me, I am there for them.
  2. My drive - when things need to get done, I do them. Sometimes it leads to exhaustion, but it feels so great when everything is accomplished.
  3. My smarts - it's something I'm fairly modest about, and that I used to be embarassed of. I've grown to accept intelligence as a part of me, and something I should be proud of.
  4. My creativity - I love to create and design and explore.
  5. My inquisitive nature - I just want to know. From time to time it can be overwhelming to want to know how things work and why they do, but I will never stop asking questions.
  
  
• What do you think are your top five weaknesses or worst qualities?
  1. My lack of self-confidence - I am actually fairly confident until someone confronts me. Then I systematically break down.
  2. My impulsive nature - I get ideas and act on them too quickly. Half the time they are regrettable. See: the rabbit and guinea pig I brought into our dorm on a whim. See: my nose ring.
  3. My perfectionism - I have to have things done exactly right. While this is good for some things, it just takes up a lot of extra time for the little things that don't need to be done perfectly.
  4. My ability to be loved - I have a hard time accepting love from other people whereas I can give it out freely.
  5. My spendthrift habits - money burns holes in my pockets. The only kind of money I can save is loose change.
  
  
• Define in your own words the following key traits:
  
  i
  
  • Courage: The ability to weather hard times, yet stand up for one self or one's beliefs when needed. My sophomore English teacher always pushed on us this idea of courage held by Atticus Finch, of To Kill A Mockingbird. The quote is as follows: "It's when you know you're licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do."
    
  • Loyalty: Being able to stand by your convictions and beliefs while still supporting the beliefs of your friends and family. I think an important part of loyalty that is often overlooked is being able to confront a friend when their ideas start to lead down a dangerous path. Loyalty should be about life, not the whole "'til death do us part" deal.
    
  • Intelligence: I don't view intelligence as the ability to retain information, or as some number that you are assigned after taking a test. Some of the most intelligent people I know are the ones without much formal education. Intelligence is just as much about knowing life as it is about knowing books and historical events and theorems.
    
  • Ambition: The ability to act on one's hopes and dreams rather than keep them safe in their head.
    
  
  
• Name: Casey.
  
• Age: Eighteen.
  
• Where did you find out about us? To be honest, I have no clue. I stumbled upon it somehow, but I really just can't remember how. Sorry. :D