it's all that i love, it's all that i need

[meggannn]

• What sort of profession in the wizarding world would you choose and why?
  I'd like to be a teacher at Hogwarts. Hogwarts has its own unique comforting, homey aura, but also has, as is well known, mysteries and thrills around every corner. When you first walk into the castle as a first year you really feel the magic, and you know it's a special place; as a teacher, I'd not only get to stay there, but I'd help others younger than myself to grow up into their own adults using magic that I've helped them create, and I'd watch the eleven-year-olds ultimately make the castle their home.
  
  As for the specific subject I'd like to teach - Transfiguration, with Charms as a very close second option. Transfiguration appeals to me because I adore the idea of it: causing something to change into something completely different is a magic even Muggles find fascinating (a frog into a prince, a pumpkin into a carriage), but there's so many more aspects to it: Animagi, for instance, really fascinate me. As for Charms, I think this subject is one of the most useful of all those taught at Hogwarts, and the creativity of some of the nifty charms that wizards come up with sounds like a very fun subject to delve deeper into.
  
  
• You have to venture deep into the Forbidden Forest one night. Pick one Harry Potter character other than Hagrid and one object (muggle or magical), besides your wand, that you'd want with you.
  I would probably bring Minerva McGonagall; she's a sharp witch with a wide variety of knowledge when it comes to both wand work and logic. She is strict and occasionally biting, but she has a deep heart and good sense of morals. She also has a good sense of businesslike determination; if we were given a goal in the Forest, she would make sure not to get distracted or wander far from the path.
  
  I would also bring a pen/Sharpie. I think they're pretty useful; mostly just for writing things down (since I'm only allowed one item, that means no paper, so I guess I'd just write on my skin or shirt or something), things worthy of note or epiphanies or last-minute wills/requests/messages for people to later find if we do die in the Forest. (They also work with what I think is called treciodemy, where you stick the pen in an unconscious person's windpipe if they can't breathe...)
  
  
• If you had the opportunity to live forever, but your family and friends did not, what would you choose? And if you did choose to live forever, what would you do with eternity?
  Ultimately, after some debate, I don't think I would decide to live forever. I'm not afraid of death as much as I'm afraid of what happens after; but if I were to live forever and constantly be surrounded by others growing and living and then dying before me, while I remained never changing, I have no doubt that I would become extremely lonely, knowing that nobody I met would ever be able to stay with me forever. I figure that at least in death, there's still a chance that loved ones share the same afterlife.
  
  
• If you could travel back in time to one point, when and where would you go? Why?
  I'd definitely travel to Ancient Egypt. I'm completely fascinated with that era in history, and all of the mysteries surrounding it. Their mythology and religion also fascinate me. (If this is in the Wizarding world, I'd love to study the sort of magic their wizards were able to craft when it came to curses around the pharaohs' tombs. And their developments when it comes to architecture - the pyramids, obelisks, sphinx - I suppose must've had some sort of magical nudge, so I'd love to see what they did there.)
  
  I also love warm places, but not tropical beaches so much, so Egypt would work nicely for me (that is, as long as I wasn't forced to work long hours in the sun - which, given how many slaves there were in those times, seems incredibly likely, but I'd still love to go).
  
  
• What HP character do you identify with most and why?
  I think I identify a lot with Harry, to be honest; it's very easy for me to follow and his train of thought, reactions, emotions, etc. Perhaps that's just because we see his POV the most, or represents JKR's success at relating Harry to the reader, but I also tend to think Harry is justified in a lot of his anger (while other readers apparently don't) when he gets snippy or annoyed at someone for minor things. Neither of us are extremely funny, but we do have senses of humor; we also tend to go out of our way to hang out and receive praise or acceptance from people that we look up to or find entertaining (for Harry there was Sirius, mainly, though on occasion he does the same with Fred and George).
  
  
• What would you see if you looked into the Mirror of Erised?
  ...Hmm, this is hard, because I'm not entirely sure what I really want myself. Well, I suppose I would see myself (not wearing anything fancy, just a comfy outfit) with a respectable amount of education and a book of my own. I dearly love to write (mainly fiction), and becoming a published author is something I'm currently shooting for. And I guess I'd see myself a few inches taller, too, since I'm rather short and I'd like to reach the cupboard handle without having to jump on the counter.
  
  
• Do you believe that moral actions should be judged by the intentions behind them, or by the consequences they create?
  The intentions behind them. I've believed this for ages; if a man attempted murder and failed, that doesn't mean he's off the hook. Just because he failed in his act doesn't change the fact that he tried to hurt someone. People who are charged with attempted murder can be just as cruel as legitimate murderers.
  
  (This goes both ways, too, I understand. If you try to help a friend out with a surprise party, for example, but it ends up a total failure, your intentions were still sincere, and hopefully your friend will understand that you meant no harm and forgive you.) You still have to deal with the consequences, but that shouldn't change the morals that you acted on.
  
  
• What was your ideal job as a kid? Has that changed? What is your ideal job now?
  I wanted to either be an artist or a teacher (or an art teacher, inspired by my awesome art teacher at the time) as a kid; I loved to draw, and I still do, but I think of it now more as a hobby to lose myself in when I need to. As for teaching, I'd still love to do it, but as mentioned, one of my aspirations now is to be an author. Writing is something I could talk forever about, but summarized: I love playing with words and I love stories, both telling and creating them. Even if they aren't real. Well, especially if they aren't real. My other possible goal (though admittedly less realistic, but I'm still open to it) is acting, hopefully in theater, but I'd be open to TV or movies. As with writing, I love telling stories, and I love delving into other people's, character's, heads and exploring how other people think and view things, in comparison to how I myself do.
  
  
• 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?
  I'd create a spell or charm that would reverse time for five minutes - not quite the same as a Time-Turner, because you wouldn't be in two places at once; you'd still be yourself, just armed with the knowledge of a future you to correct a mistake you're about to make. This might be because I often, both on purpose and on accident, say or do really stupid things ("stupid" meaning both unintelligent things, but also insensitive or insulting things), and I can sympathize when somebody wishes that the past few minutes had never happened and want a re-do, or a second chance to make things right.
  
  I'd use it for reversing anything I've done, or anybody anybody else has done, that I could tell would spark or later cause lots of dispute or something; also to set some situations right that weren't going in the proper way. I wouldn't, however, use it to reverse every mistake I make because I think that'd turn into one in itself. I also wouldn't use it to prevent a death/save a life/etc; I know some might disagree, but I know sometimes, death is inevitable, as are accidents, and somebody has to happen to somebody eventually. I'd regret it, and probably try to convince myself, but I doubt I'd attempt to change anything really big or major. Actually, I probably wouldn't end up using it that often at all, which might defeat the purpose, but to stop from using the spell to excess, I'd have remind myself that I can't play God and I don't have the final say in who gets a second chance and who doesn't.
  
  As for a name, I'd probably name it something really uncreative like... The Retraction Charm, or something. At least until I came up with something better.
  (Oh God, I'm sorry, that was a really long answer...)
  
  
• 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?
  My boggart... Hm. Well, my worst fear is missing an opportunity, and I'm not entirely sure how that could be represented - perhaps an image of myself, unhappy, wasting away, most likely alone, and knowing I could've done something useful and productive to make myself (and others) happy.
  
  As for the counter-curse, when I use Riddikulus, I'd probably discover that the me I was seeing was in a play, having been cast and acting out the role of Lucy from Sweeney Todd, who is homeless and more than a little bit insane. She's always been interesting and a little amusing to me.
  
  
• What do you look for in a friend?
  - A sense of humor. I know this is something lots of people say when they apply for dating sites (it's not like someone would say "I want someone WITHOUT a sense of humor") but I make lots of really dumb jokes, and I dearly love to laugh. If I can't feel comfortable laughing with or around someone, we probably won't connect very well.
  - Independence. I really don't like people that cling and rely on me too much; I can't be there for someone all the time, and when someone asks me to do everything/looks to me/can't be alone/or something of the sort, it really just annoys me. I don't enjoy worrying too much about people, but if I know you can handle something and YOU don't seem concerned about, then I won't be either, and then I'll be much more supportive. I like people who have a healthy sense of confidence in themselves, I guess you could say.
  - Friendliness, of course - I mean, they have to be nice and welcoming and tolerant. They can't be unnecessarily mean; if they are, I'll probably let them know they're being so, but too much cruelty would make them a bully, and that sort of person doesn't apply to me.
  - A willingness to agree to disagree, on occasions. I can be unreasonable and stubborn sometimes, and I get into arguments about morals and school projects and all sorts of things; my mind isn't going to make sense to everyone, just as I won't be able to completely understand someone else's, either. I love a good debate (as long as it doesn't turn nasty), but sometimes nobody wins, and I can recognize that if the other person can.
  
  
• What trait most annoys you about other people?
  When they strike a pose for others in order to impress them. I suppose I'm a bit of a hypocrite because this is also something that I get annoyed with myself about, though I'm trying my best to recognize when I'm pretending to be someone I'm not and stop acting like it. I guess this is part of the 'be happy and accept yourself' chant lots of celebrities repeat on a broken record; I can't see anybody being happy pretending to be someone else.
  
  
• What do you think are your top five abilities or qualities?
  - Creativity. When I feel up to it, I enjoy going the extra mile and finding a new way to approach a problem or project to entertain myself and have a little fun. I mentioned before that I love to draw, and I love art in general; I like creating things, and finding new ways to do so.
  - Empathy. I know there are (at least) two sides to every story, and I try my best to see from all perspectives before making my own conclusions or decisions on a problem. Given that, I can keep track of who's feeling upset and who's feeling angry and sometimes change a subject during discussions to avoid a confrontation.
  - Communication. I think that once I relate to people, I can present an idea that I want to get across well to others. I'm often told that I would do well dealing with people in a future job - I think this is because I know what people like to listen to and what they don't, and using that knowledge, I can apply to their level of interest.
  - Dedication. As long as I have a true interest for what requires work, I don't really stray far form what needs doing. I have a goal, I go for it. I map out the steps and I try not to let obstacles or doubts get in my way. I think goals like these are pretty realistic, since I trust myself not to make them too unattainable, and sometimes I get discouraged, but I always come back to fight for the goal eventually if I'm really interested in it.
  - Sincerity/Honesty. I've fallen out of the habit of telling little white lies for the sake of people's feelings. I tell what I really feel about something, though if it's a negative opinion of something, I often add a positive comment to go with it.
  
  
• What do you think are your top five weaknesses or worst qualities?
  - Anger. I have a short temper. I get angry, or at least frustrated, at very minuscule things sometimes. People often have to tell me to calm down, and usually this just pisses me off even further. I suppose the bright side to my anger is that it doesn't last long, and I don't ever really do anything drastic while I'm upset (I just kind of stomp around a bit), and after a little while I'm able to calm down and get rational.
  - Pride. I unfortunately have a bit too much of it, I think. I can realize that I'm wrong halfway through an argument and still continue to argue just to save myself the embarrassment of admitting defeat. (This doesn't happen a lot, but still, it's not exactly a good thing, is it?)
  - Judgment. I'm a little better at this than I used to be, but I do judge people a bit. Often by their covers. I don't really treat anyone badly or say mean things, but I might be rolling my mental eyes or not paying someone my full attention after I assume they probably don't have anything important to say.
  - Procrastination. This causes so many problems for me but I can't seem to stop. I know I have a horrible sense of procrastination, putting things off that I don't want to do or go to, but I can also be incredibly stubborn when it comes to interacting with problems that I know I'll have to face eventually, but just don't feel like doing so at the moment. Or I make excuses for myself to ignore the situation until it's directly in front of me, by which time it's sometimes too late.
  - Self-centeredness. I call it "self-centeredness," even though it's not a word, because I'm not quite sure what else to call it. Sometimes I will put my needs over others', and I feel a little bad about it, but I'm still very prone to do it. (If it helps, when I realize I'm doing it, I try to do the person a favor later...)
  
  
• Define in your own words the following key traits:
  
  • Courage: The strength to do, face, attempt, or not walk away from something with confidence, because you know you're doing it for a good cause (the cause is important; without it it'd just be stupidity), especially when you're absolutely terrified.
    
  • Loyalty: A strong bond with something or someone that is made of dedication and faithfulness, though it's not necessarily mindless.
    
  • Intelligence: A strong amount of knowledge, logic, and reason, but also the ability to bend when it comes to things you might not understand (e.g. to unexplored or confusing territories).
    
  • Ambition: The ability to have a drive, see it through, and not be swayed or distracted by anything that might alter your determination for your goal.
    
  
  
• Name: Megan
  
• Age: 16 (17 this July)
  
• Where did you find out about us? Friends' journals and another HP community.
  
• Do you plan on being active in the communities once you are sorted? Well, uh, at the moment I'm a little swamped with midterms, but as soon as those are over I'll be sure to spend as much time as I can with this comm. :)