HPFF Forums House Cup 2010
During the HPFF forums House Cup this year, there were some questions posted for us to answer and chat about all surrounding the Deathly Hallows - the three objects and the book! I saved my answers in my blog over there, but I thought I'd copy them across.
(By the way, I'm Ravenclaw and we came a close second to Gryffindor - congratulations to them!)
The Elder Wand
1. What would you do with the elder wand?
I would definitely keep it secret - 'cause that's how all the other owners were found to have it and then killed. I would most likely be afraid to use it at all, or at least in public, so it'd probably end up locked under some magical protection which I had created with the wand.
2. If you had the elder wand in your possession, what measures would you take to ensure it wasn't stolen from you?
See previous question
3. How do you think the outcome of DH would have been altered if Harry had found the elder wand before Voldemort did?
Well firstly I don't think that would have happened because by the time Harry knew where it was, Voldemort was already on his way and so Harry couldn't have got there before him (and as Hermione points out, Harry couldn't have broken into Dumbledore's tomb anyway) - but maybe if he'd gone and confronted him he'd have got the Elder Wand from him and the end would have come a bit faster.
Otherwise, Snape wouldn't have been killed - or not by Voldemort/for the same reasons, Voldemort wouldn't have been so confident about attacking Hogwarts, and he would have been even more distressed when he discovered that his Horcruxes had been destroyed - so he'd probably do something very evil and destructive to vent his anger.
4. What immediately went through your mind when you discovered who RAB was?
I can't remember, but before the seventh book came out I was pretty sure it was Regulus - whether that was by my own deductions or the suggestions of other people I can't remember either!
5. Which duel between which characters in the final battle was your favourite to read?
I enjoyed the short duel between McGonagall and Snape because its very descriptive and its one of the only described duels between really powerful witches/wizards in the whole series. If it counts, when the House Elves join the battle - led by Kreacher. But my absolute favourite has to be the last 'duel' between Harry and Voldemort - simply because Voldemort is finally defeated
6. What did you think of Harry defeating Voldemort?
Inevitable - what kind of an end to the series would it be if the evil wizard was still alive and evil?
7. How many times have you read DH?
I've lost track - maybe about 7/8 times actually cover to cover excluding getting it out to look something up and ending up getting distracted!
8. What did you do in honour of the release of DH?
I sat in the living room for seven hours straight reading it cover to cover - except for having lunch and when a friend and his cousin came to see me (I tried to explain what was happening but they hadn't read the other books so they didn't understand!)
Edit from when I posted this in the forums - I can't believe I forgot about the Molly/Bellatrix fight! "Not my daughter you B*TCH!" has to be one of the greatest lines of the series!
The Resurrection Stone
1. If you had the resurrection stone, which character from the series would you bring back?
Probably Dumbledore - if he had been alive, the last book would have been so different, and probably a lot nicer for Harry - he would have known what to do rather than fitting together pieces that Dumbledore left behind, taking a guess, and hoping he had got it right. I wish Harry hadn't had to have gone through all of that, but if he hadn't, Deathly Hallows would be a lot less fulfilling
2. Which of the hallows do you think is the most powerful and why?
As someone talked about above, it depends what you mean by power - if say power means control, then probably the resurrection stone because it gives you control over death. If you want power to rule then you'd probably want the elder wand because then you can make people fear you. But the invisibilty cloak is also powerful because it means you can creep around unseen and undetected - which would probably help you gain knowledge - and knowledge is power. If I had the choice, I would go for the invisiblity cloak because I wouldn't want to rule, I wouldn't feel I needed to bring back the dead, and I'd love to be the 'fly on the wall' in some interesting situations!
3. What is the one thing you'd change about DH?
This is a difficult one because I like it how it is. Of course I would have prefered people like Fred, Lupin, and Tonks to have lived, but then the story wouldn't have been as powerful and realistic (as it gets!)
4. Which character's death was most devastating to you?
Assuming this is just Deathly Hallows - possibly Snape's because he never got any 'compensation' as such for being a spy and protecting Harry all those years. But Snape would have hated to have lived and been the hero, so in that way I'm glad he died. And it was pretty upsetting to see that Lupin and Tonks were both dead - poor Teddy
Out of the whole series - definitely Dumbledore's - his was the only death I started crying at, and I was on the school bus so that was a little awkward...
5. Which is your favorite Death Eater to hate above all?
Bellatrix - just her whole 'killing is fun' attitude. She isn't like Voldemort - she can understand (at least a little) about the power of Love, but she loves killing more. I think she's the kind of person who doesn't really care if she's killed, she just wants to have a great time and kill as many people as possible that will be missed by Harry in particular. She reminds me of the Joker from the Batman film 'The Dark Knight'
[See my one shot for the HPFF House Cup collaboration here]
6. Which character do you think has developed the most throughout the series?
I would say Harry. We first see him as a small, oblivious, downgraded eleven year old, and he has to grow into his newly discovered title of 'Saviour of the Wizarding World'. I'm sure other characters also develop a lot, but because we see Harry the most, I feel we experience more of his development.
7. How did you feel about the series officially ending?
Sad, but that was when I discovered the true might of the fandom! I will survive by reading and writing fanfiction, and hoping that one day I will get to go to the theme park *pulls cute face*
8. How do you feel about the DH movie being split into two parts?
I'm going to view it as a positive thing - hopefully they've put more of the storyline in (although I don't know how they'll explain some things because they haven't given the back story yet -- Bill & Fleur's wedding for example) but Its gonna be SOO annoying having to wait 8 months for the second part. I'm glad they're calling them part one and two though and not just making up some silly extra name for one part
The Invisibility Cloak
1. What would you do with the Invisibility Cloak?
Hmm... I would probably use it to spy on famous people to find out what they're really like. It wouldn't be creepy like watching them sleep or anything - I'd get creeped out doing that! But I'd find it very interesting see them being normal people =) I would also use it to go to places where the general public isn't allowed like a film set (I'd want a time-turner too) or the Wizarding World of Harry Potter when it's closed =P
2. How did you react when you found out Harry was a descendant of the Peverells?
It didn't really have an effect on me in any way. It was just a fact - that's where Harry's invisibility cloak comes from. It's quite cool, thinking about it now, that Harry is descended from a very old wizarding family even though he's a half-blood and grew up with muggles. I suppose it also deepens his connection with Voldemort - who is also descended from the Peverells, and Salazar Slytherin, is a half-blood, and was brought up by muggles. But all that doesn't really affect the story.
3. If you were in the Deathly Hallows movie, what character would you play and why?
I think it'd be cool to be Neville (partly a result of reading Singularity's winning blog [HPFF]), or a Death Eater - I think it'd be cool to play a bad guy! Harry/Ron/Hermione would also be quite cool to play and they get the most screen time. But I can't act and as someone else said, I'd totally massacre the part, so it'd probably be in everyone's best interests for me to be 'Ravenclaw Seventh Year #054' =L
4. What things from DH do you definitely want to be included in the movie?
Oh, I made a list of this a while ago ... The Dursleys leaving Privett Drive, Bill and Charlie (where have they been for the past six years!), proper Tonks/Remus and that they got married, the seven Potters chase in the AIR... Okay, I've decided to create a new blog entry for this list [I will post this list here too]
5. What did you think of Kreacher's change in personality once Harry started treating him with respect?
It was nice to see that Hermione was right for a start. I liked that house elves could be treated that way, and be happy with obeying their master's commands. I also liked that Kreacher could be 'nice' - just because he served the Black family, and obeyed Bellatrix, didn't mean that he was against Harry - it shows his neutrality in the Wizards' war - I think this is the Hermione in me coming out!.
6. What was your first reaction upon reading the scene in which Ron and Hermione kiss during the battle?
I think I kind of chuckled (not out loud of course, that would be silly) - a kind of 'at last!', 'finally!' and also 'do you have to do that right now??' - like Harry. If it were me instead of Hermione, I don't think that sentence would have had the same effect, but I am not Hermione who is passionate about the house elves and freedom etc...
7. Do you plan to see the DH movies multiple times? Why or why not?
No, once each. It's far too expensive, and I've never seen a movie at the cinema more than once - I don't see the point
8. What do you plan to do in honour of the first DH movie's release?
Well, me and my friend were thinking of going to the midnight release and dressing up, but we both have college the next day, and I'm not sure if either of our parents would be keen on getting up at 3am to pick us up afterwards. We might wait til part 2 to do that because that'll be in the holidays. Whenever we go, we might still dress up, and we'll definitely be singing songs from A Very Potter Musical and Sequel, probably with some other crazy people like us too
EDIT: No cinemas near us are doing midnight showings anyway, but I do have the day off college on the 19th (YAY!) so we've booked for the afternoon, and some other people have said they're going to come too! =D
(By the way, I'm Ravenclaw and we came a close second to Gryffindor - congratulations to them!)
The Elder Wand
1. What would you do with the elder wand?
I would definitely keep it secret - 'cause that's how all the other owners were found to have it and then killed. I would most likely be afraid to use it at all, or at least in public, so it'd probably end up locked under some magical protection which I had created with the wand.
2. If you had the elder wand in your possession, what measures would you take to ensure it wasn't stolen from you?
See previous question
3. How do you think the outcome of DH would have been altered if Harry had found the elder wand before Voldemort did?
Well firstly I don't think that would have happened because by the time Harry knew where it was, Voldemort was already on his way and so Harry couldn't have got there before him (and as Hermione points out, Harry couldn't have broken into Dumbledore's tomb anyway) - but maybe if he'd gone and confronted him he'd have got the Elder Wand from him and the end would have come a bit faster.
Otherwise, Snape wouldn't have been killed - or not by Voldemort/for the same reasons, Voldemort wouldn't have been so confident about attacking Hogwarts, and he would have been even more distressed when he discovered that his Horcruxes had been destroyed - so he'd probably do something very evil and destructive to vent his anger.
4. What immediately went through your mind when you discovered who RAB was?
I can't remember, but before the seventh book came out I was pretty sure it was Regulus - whether that was by my own deductions or the suggestions of other people I can't remember either!
5. Which duel between which characters in the final battle was your favourite to read?
I enjoyed the short duel between McGonagall and Snape because its very descriptive and its one of the only described duels between really powerful witches/wizards in the whole series. If it counts, when the House Elves join the battle - led by Kreacher. But my absolute favourite has to be the last 'duel' between Harry and Voldemort - simply because Voldemort is finally defeated
6. What did you think of Harry defeating Voldemort?
Inevitable - what kind of an end to the series would it be if the evil wizard was still alive and evil?
7. How many times have you read DH?
I've lost track - maybe about 7/8 times actually cover to cover excluding getting it out to look something up and ending up getting distracted!
8. What did you do in honour of the release of DH?
I sat in the living room for seven hours straight reading it cover to cover - except for having lunch and when a friend and his cousin came to see me (I tried to explain what was happening but they hadn't read the other books so they didn't understand!)
Edit from when I posted this in the forums - I can't believe I forgot about the Molly/Bellatrix fight! "Not my daughter you B*TCH!" has to be one of the greatest lines of the series!
The Resurrection Stone
1. If you had the resurrection stone, which character from the series would you bring back?
Probably Dumbledore - if he had been alive, the last book would have been so different, and probably a lot nicer for Harry - he would have known what to do rather than fitting together pieces that Dumbledore left behind, taking a guess, and hoping he had got it right. I wish Harry hadn't had to have gone through all of that, but if he hadn't, Deathly Hallows would be a lot less fulfilling
2. Which of the hallows do you think is the most powerful and why?
As someone talked about above, it depends what you mean by power - if say power means control, then probably the resurrection stone because it gives you control over death. If you want power to rule then you'd probably want the elder wand because then you can make people fear you. But the invisibilty cloak is also powerful because it means you can creep around unseen and undetected - which would probably help you gain knowledge - and knowledge is power. If I had the choice, I would go for the invisiblity cloak because I wouldn't want to rule, I wouldn't feel I needed to bring back the dead, and I'd love to be the 'fly on the wall' in some interesting situations!
3. What is the one thing you'd change about DH?
This is a difficult one because I like it how it is. Of course I would have prefered people like Fred, Lupin, and Tonks to have lived, but then the story wouldn't have been as powerful and realistic (as it gets!)
4. Which character's death was most devastating to you?
Assuming this is just Deathly Hallows - possibly Snape's because he never got any 'compensation' as such for being a spy and protecting Harry all those years. But Snape would have hated to have lived and been the hero, so in that way I'm glad he died. And it was pretty upsetting to see that Lupin and Tonks were both dead - poor Teddy
Out of the whole series - definitely Dumbledore's - his was the only death I started crying at, and I was on the school bus so that was a little awkward...
5. Which is your favorite Death Eater to hate above all?
Bellatrix - just her whole 'killing is fun' attitude. She isn't like Voldemort - she can understand (at least a little) about the power of Love, but she loves killing more. I think she's the kind of person who doesn't really care if she's killed, she just wants to have a great time and kill as many people as possible that will be missed by Harry in particular. She reminds me of the Joker from the Batman film 'The Dark Knight'
[See my one shot for the HPFF House Cup collaboration here]
6. Which character do you think has developed the most throughout the series?
I would say Harry. We first see him as a small, oblivious, downgraded eleven year old, and he has to grow into his newly discovered title of 'Saviour of the Wizarding World'. I'm sure other characters also develop a lot, but because we see Harry the most, I feel we experience more of his development.
7. How did you feel about the series officially ending?
Sad, but that was when I discovered the true might of the fandom! I will survive by reading and writing fanfiction, and hoping that one day I will get to go to the theme park *pulls cute face*
8. How do you feel about the DH movie being split into two parts?
I'm going to view it as a positive thing - hopefully they've put more of the storyline in (although I don't know how they'll explain some things because they haven't given the back story yet -- Bill & Fleur's wedding for example) but Its gonna be SOO annoying having to wait 8 months for the second part. I'm glad they're calling them part one and two though and not just making up some silly extra name for one part
The Invisibility Cloak
1. What would you do with the Invisibility Cloak?
Hmm... I would probably use it to spy on famous people to find out what they're really like. It wouldn't be creepy like watching them sleep or anything - I'd get creeped out doing that! But I'd find it very interesting see them being normal people =) I would also use it to go to places where the general public isn't allowed like a film set (I'd want a time-turner too) or the Wizarding World of Harry Potter when it's closed =P
2. How did you react when you found out Harry was a descendant of the Peverells?
It didn't really have an effect on me in any way. It was just a fact - that's where Harry's invisibility cloak comes from. It's quite cool, thinking about it now, that Harry is descended from a very old wizarding family even though he's a half-blood and grew up with muggles. I suppose it also deepens his connection with Voldemort - who is also descended from the Peverells, and Salazar Slytherin, is a half-blood, and was brought up by muggles. But all that doesn't really affect the story.
3. If you were in the Deathly Hallows movie, what character would you play and why?
I think it'd be cool to be Neville (partly a result of reading Singularity's winning blog [HPFF]), or a Death Eater - I think it'd be cool to play a bad guy! Harry/Ron/Hermione would also be quite cool to play and they get the most screen time. But I can't act and as someone else said, I'd totally massacre the part, so it'd probably be in everyone's best interests for me to be 'Ravenclaw Seventh Year #054' =L
4. What things from DH do you definitely want to be included in the movie?
Oh, I made a list of this a while ago ... The Dursleys leaving Privett Drive, Bill and Charlie (where have they been for the past six years!), proper Tonks/Remus and that they got married, the seven Potters chase in the AIR... Okay, I've decided to create a new blog entry for this list [I will post this list here too]
5. What did you think of Kreacher's change in personality once Harry started treating him with respect?
It was nice to see that Hermione was right for a start. I liked that house elves could be treated that way, and be happy with obeying their master's commands. I also liked that Kreacher could be 'nice' - just because he served the Black family, and obeyed Bellatrix, didn't mean that he was against Harry - it shows his neutrality in the Wizards' war - I think this is the Hermione in me coming out!.
6. What was your first reaction upon reading the scene in which Ron and Hermione kiss during the battle?
I think I kind of chuckled (not out loud of course, that would be silly) - a kind of 'at last!', 'finally!' and also 'do you have to do that right now??' - like Harry. If it were me instead of Hermione, I don't think that sentence would have had the same effect, but I am not Hermione who is passionate about the house elves and freedom etc...
7. Do you plan to see the DH movies multiple times? Why or why not?
No, once each. It's far too expensive, and I've never seen a movie at the cinema more than once - I don't see the point
8. What do you plan to do in honour of the first DH movie's release?
Well, me and my friend were thinking of going to the midnight release and dressing up, but we both have college the next day, and I'm not sure if either of our parents would be keen on getting up at 3am to pick us up afterwards. We might wait til part 2 to do that because that'll be in the holidays. Whenever we go, we might still dress up, and we'll definitely be singing songs from A Very Potter Musical and Sequel, probably with some other crazy people like us too
EDIT: No cinemas near us are doing midnight showings anyway, but I do have the day off college on the 19th (YAY!) so we've booked for the afternoon, and some other people have said they're going to come too! =D