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hogwarts_elite and my application has finally left the queue and been posted so I saw no issue with posting it on my own journal. I'm having a really difficult time sorting myself, maybe because I have a very specific idea of what houses I would be/should be/have been in. So far I've gotten a large handful of Hufflepuff votes (where one has commented that I might have a few "scales") and one vote for Slytherin. I'm so confuzzled!! O_o
01. Name: Lita
02. How did you find out about Hogwarts Elite? jaxadora Jax of Hufflepuff! =)
||MIRROR OF ERISED||
03. What do you wish to accomplish in life?
A life full of love and happiness is what I wish to accomplish in this lifetime. I have no desires to win fame, fortune, or even to amass an entourage of friends or family. Not to say that I don't wish any friends or family. I love my family. But as they do not fully understand who I am or the lifestyle I desire, they are not my focal point. I enjoy seclusion as much as I enjoy a crowd, thus my friends are few and carefully selected from the multitudes that I have come to interact with. I, according to friends, have done what few people in this world have done in finding the one person on this planet who is right for me. He is my world and makes me the happiest I have ever been and ever will be. I live for love and in doing so live for him. I have left family and friends to be with him, to move across an ocean to be with him. That's the love portion down. Happiness just comes along for the ride after that. Anything that makes me happy will do. Everyday life and the things that come with it, whether that be learning a new language just for the heck of it, travelling to Scotland because my Australian hubby is of Scottish heritage (go figure), or even going back home to California to go to Disneyland again. Whatever else life has to send my way, I relish the thought because the "accomplished" life I envision has only just begun.
04. Describe exactly what you would see in the Mirror of Erised. (This is not the same question as #03.)
A thick pair of socks! There is little else I desire than to find love, which I have done. My ambitions are few, and the only other thing that pulls at the corners of my mind is a small desire to find my dream job. Some have eluded to the idea that it might be motherhood, as it is one of many things I have yet to experience or discover. =) It makes me smile to imagine what my husband and I would look like with a family in tow. So perhaps that is what I would see, a large smiling family stand around the two of us, everyone hugging with no family drama and a definite feeling of comraderie and kinship between them all, just as Harry did the first time he ever looked into the Mirror. And yes I know it says exact but nothing is ever exact until it happens.
05. What makes a person deserving of your respect?
The thing I wish most from people who desire my respect is that they give me an honest and open introduction. For me, first impressions are quite an important thing because I am rather judgmental--though most people never see it at first--and I will be quick to form an opinion of someone even before I am ever introduced to them. Being polite and appropriate to the situation is what catches my eye usually. Knowing how to gauge your surroundings and act accordingly will always keep my door open to you.
06. What is your biggest pet peeve?
Hmmm. I guess not knowing when enough is enough. I'm a patient and tolerant person and I can withstand a lot. People have actually tried to get me to yell at them or get angry and it just doesn't happen that often (unless I'm in the middle of a mood swing or otherwise). It generally takes a good long while of something that's particularly annoying to me before I'll acutally say anything. It's been compared with Luna and her tolerance of people taking her things. She never gets mad or angry, just puts up fliers at the end of year so she can at least get her things back.
07. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
I'm actually quite happy with the person I am at this point in time. If anything, I'd wish for more ambition but truth be told I'm actually really happy not wanting anything. The only reason I want more ambition is because my parent's don't think much of the way I've steered my life. I'm a 28-year-old college drop out, no degree, no career path, no future other than the one that involves my husband and whatever may come along. It is because I desire to be "more" in the eyes of my parents that I would wish for this at all. It may also have stemmed from the fact that for a while I thought I was a sociopath for not having any ambition but that's just silly.
08. If you could do any one thing and suffer no consequences, what would it be?
I'm adopted and although I've never really given it a huge amount of thought otherwise, I've always been curious as to how my life would have turned out if my biological parents had never given me up. Would fate have been as kind to me? Would I be as hard working, as devoted to certain people? Finding out those things and not developing a strong desire to see them through or to change something in my current life would be an amazing discovery even though it would be as though it never happened anyway. So ignorance really is bliss.
09. What do you think are your top five positive characteristics?
01. Compassion -- Despite a seemingly icy exterior at times, I'm extremely understanding of other people's misfortunes and am always willing to lend an ear. I will even go so far as to try and help fix things when I am able, if the other party is open to it. If I can't, I'll do what I can to point them in a fixing-the-situation direction. I feel for other people's pain. =(
02. Adaptability -- I may not like change all the time but when it happens I will more often than not have any trouble adapting to the situation straight off the bat. If I don't, I'll research and figure out how to ease my way into things as quickly as possible. Falling into this category also includes quick learner. I have a steep learning curve and catch onto things fairly quickly so when I want to learn something it happens sooner rather than later. I'm also quite flexible. I have no life =D so if something comes up I can usually do it.
03. Resilience -- I bounce back quite easily. Brush it off and keep going! Fall down, get back up and try again. Breakup with a guy? Well, it only ever happened once but I sprang back into action fine enough afterwards. I guess I can attribute it to compartmentalising well. But no matter what the occasion, if I fail at it I'll try and try again. Can't really keep me down. Even if I don't like it? Yeah...do it anyway because once I've committed to something, well, I've committed to it haven't I? Which brings me to my next one...
04. Work Ethic -- I have a ridiculously high work ethic. Once I start something I will do my best to finish it as quickly and as efficiently as possible. If I don't know how to do it, I'll do whatever it takes to figure out how to do it, so long as it's morally ethical and legal. =) Unless it's an arts and crafts thing that's purely for myself. If that's the case, I'll work on that on and off whenever I feel like it no matter how long it takes. I suspect my arts and crafts are more a stress release or something along those lines.
05. Fun-loving -- I love having fun as much as the next person. I'm up for most of the "safe" stuff, so no skydiving for me but I'll go out to a bar if a friend wants me to. I'll go to Disneyland or go to the beach or do whatever's on the agenda if it's entertaining. I'm open to most things being fun, go-kart driving, mini-golf, going to the movies, girl's night out, girl's night in, couples nights, go tp a friend's house? Give me an event and I'm there. I spent all day at a 3-year-old's birthday party watching them slide down a water slide from inside a bounce house into a pool of water, trying to hit a pinata, running around in handmade capes and laughing like idiots. I got a nice light red burn from it too. If it's fun for you it's mostlikely fun for me. But like I said, no base jumping. =P
10. What do you think are your top five negative characteristics?
01. Analytical -- I analyse EVERYTHING. It's somewhat hindering mostly in making decisions, weighing pros and cons and all that. It's gotten me into trouble a few times, though, in regard to people, trying to figure someone out and overthinking things or overanalysing them which brings on the ((see next answer))
02. Pessimism -- How did that get there?! Yeah, I'm a ridiculous pessimist. Up until the day we got married, I was in denial that my husband loved me truly or that he should even BE in love with me but somehow he fought through it and here we are still married a year and a half later. We'll see what's going on in ten years, shall we? Okay okay, I'm not always a pessimist but the bad strands of it pop up from time to time. It goes hand in hand with the perfectionist strand of DNA that roams through me. Nothing ever goes right and it's always my fault if it goes wrong and if something's not perfect it's because I did it and it never will be perfect ever...
03. Brutal Honesty -- It doesn't happen a lot but when I think it matters I can be hurtfully honest. Had I been a character in the HP series, I would've told Ron straight off the bat, in other not so nice words, that he shouldn't be such a prig and there are other things he needs to be angry about. I told both of my best friends that their significant others were great big *insert mean word here* and they could both do better. One took it to heart and got a boyfriend who is SO much better and they'll be getting engaged later this year/early next year. The other...didn't and is sadly still with this idiot who doesn't do a thing for her. I'm mean, really, who complains about a vacation to HAWAI'I when their girlfriend pays for EVERYTHING?!?! He's a leech and I hate him. =( grrrrr.
04. Oblivious -- As much as I claim to pay attention to some certains, I am more often than not oblivious to some things. Nobody ever tells me what when it happens but they all roll their eyes and shake their heads and give you that look. Yeah you know what I'm talking about because everyone has that look for something. And then I almost sorta get whiney because they won't tell me what it is. It's completely childish, fun in a weird way, and ever so slightly annoying in another way.
05. Does not being able to figure out 5 negative characteristics count as my fifth? As analytical as I am of myself and everything else I'm having a hard time separating a fifth thing to categorise for y'all. It all keeps falling back into bits and pieces of the other characteristics... You could go as far as saying Open-mindedness is a negative aspect. Yes, I said I was judgmental at first impressions but I'm really open minded about a lot of other things. Don't want to make too big a deal but religious tolerance is a big one. I'm a professed Christian but I'm not "in your face" about it. My husband is agnostic and I'm okay with that. I'm pro-homosexuality, much to the chagrine of my parents. I'm not against abortion in general, though I'd never choose it for myself. And getting off the political issues track...
||HOGWARTS, A HISTORY||
11. Who is your favorite character in the Harry Potter series?
Dumbledore! I can't fully explain my love of Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore but I'll do my best. I love that he's so quirky. I love that he's so knowledgeable but because of his past and because of the knowledge he's rather humble about it, compared to how he could've been. JK Rowling's explanation of why Dumbledore is the way he is just astounds me. I read this from Wikipedia and it blows my mind:
On 19 October 2007, Rowling was asked by a young fan whether Dumbledore finds "true love". Rowling said that she always thought of Dumbledore as being homosexual and that he had fallen in love with Gellert Grindelwald, which was Dumbledore's "great tragedy"; Rowling did not explicitly state whether Grindelwald returned his affections.[13][14][15] Rowling explains this further by elaborating on the motivations behind Dumbledore's flirtation with the idea of wizard domination of Muggles: "He lost his moral compass completely when he fell in love and I think subsequently became very mistrustful of his own judgement in those matters so became quite asexual. He led a celibate and a bookish life."[16]
I'm saddened that love is what changed him so drastically but then again love does that to many people and it's merely a part of life, isn't it?
I enjoy that he's such a 3-dimensional character, developing from a quirky, wise old professor in the beginning of the story to a character with such an intense background and such a darkness in him that is so much more than the darkness that anyone else has in their hearts. Was he conniving and deceptive in parts of it? Yes but there are reasons he did what he did and he's not perfect. People make decisions everyday and Dumbledore's, though for the greater good, were his to make. No good deed goes unpunished, or so they say. Dumbledore's were just on a larger scale with larger consequences which he at least thought about beforehand. It's almost Slytherin of him, to be that ruthless with Harry, isn't it? Or would you go the other way and call it courage, making a decision that no one else could make?
So yes, despite the decisions he made and all his faults, I love Albus Dumbledore to death. The fact that he's a music supporter and his name means bumblebee in Old English may or may not have anything to do with it as well.
12. Who is your least favorite character in the Harry Potter series?
Oh who's not to like? I mean, I even like the bad guys! It's a fictional series so it's hard for me to not like anyone. They all do things I like and don't like... Although, I think if I'd really have to choose it'd be Remus and Tonks as a tie. Dying for a cause and leaving behind a young child? Even if you had plans for that "just in case" circumstance, I can't understand making that sacrifice. Molly and Arthur I see as a different situation because all of their children are either of age or in the care of someone of age and, to be honest, Ginny's got it made because she's got Harry. All their other children can fend for themselves. Remus and Tonks JUST HAD THEIR KID. He's not even a year old and they're considering sacrifice for the cause. That just screams wrong to me, Gryffindor or not.
13. What was your favorite plot or character revelation in the Harry Potter series?
No don't make me choose!!
I think one of my favourite "realisations" in the entire series, though, was when Harry figured out that Sirius was his godfather and that he'd be able to live in the Wizarding World with people who actually cared about him. That one little bit really hit home for me. Don't get me wrong, I love my family but I always yearned for a group of people who really understood me or didn't judge me for being my quirky weird self. That was one of the things I really connected with Harry on.
I was actually really touched by Narcissa at the end, actually. She chose her family and her son above "the cause" and risked a horrible and painful death and betrayal of her sister by lying to Voldemort and telling them all Harry was dead when he wasn't. If you think about it, there's so much that could have gone wrong for her had they found her out. But for love of her offspring, she risked it. I didn't think she had that much of a spine, even when she had Snape do the Unbreakable Vow to protect Draco, that was almost expected. I never expected her to take that much of a stand and turn away from it all.
14. Describe the canon qualities for each house that accurately reflect you.
• Gryffindor: Bravery, daring, nerve, and chivalry are all descriptions given by the hat in the first book. Of those, and as the introductory qualities given, nerve and chivalry would most accurately reflect me. I'm not above having a staredown with someone if they start it and I can stand up for the things I believe in when the situation calls for it with no qualms for what it might mean to reputation or otherwise. And chivalry is NOT dead! Etiquette and considerate manners are definitely in the cards for lessons to be taught to my future children. Crass language and raucous behaviour are hardly ever necessary. But yes, even I slip up from time to time. Bad me.
• Slytherin: Cunning and using any means to achieve goals were the first descriptors. If anything I have slight strategic tendencies but they were never a strength for me. Nor am I ruthless or willing to do anything to achieve my goals. If things look iffy I'll find a way around them. If I can't, then perhaps the goal isn't worth achieving.
• Ravenclaw: A ready mind, wit, learning, these were all characterised by the hat's first song. Attentive, I'm not always but I have a knack for learning and am anxious to learn things that interest me. Word plays and riddles amuse me and ohmygosh did I LOVE that the Ravenclaw Common Room entrance was a doorknocker that asked a riddle?!?! =) Was so bummed that wasn't in the movies. Wit? Not extremely but a little of it's there. Just...don't ask me to play chess. Like I mentioned earlier about strategy? Yeah...I'm a horrible chess player. So ashamed.
• Hufflepuff: Just, loyal, patient, true, unafraid of toil. Hufflepuff was given the most descriptors in the first song which gives their house and unfair advantage should anyone be sorted based on number of defining characteristics in such a way. All of these can be attributed to me in one way or another. I'm a semi-fair-weather friend in that I won't come after you if you stop talking to me, if that makes any sense. I'll always be there if you come back and need anything but I don't come looking for friends who cut the friendship from their end. I have eternal patience. Tedious things are some of my favourite things to do. I love 1000 piece puzzles, knitting, transposing music, transcribing music, word searches, etc. etc. I've actually sat and counted grains of rice once because I was bored. And as stated before I'm not afraid of hard work when necessary.
15. Describe the canon qualities for each house that do not accurately reflect you.
• Gryffindor: Daring I am not!! Trying new things is not listed under my favourite things to do. I won't go wrestling a croc for thrills, no skydiving, basejumping, ziplining, cliff diving...none of it. Of course, if you've noticed, most of those things require heights. Them's be things I don't like. Try a new food? Sure, I love food. Listen to a new band? Definitely. Music is food for the soul. I'm a bit camera shy so I'm usually taking the pictures and not posing for them. Not sure what happened though because as a kid I was a huge ham for the camera.
• Slytherin: I am severely lacking in ambition and ruthlessness. I have no strong desires to ever do anything except to have love in my life and have never needed anything done so badly that I was willing to do anything to get it done. Except go to the bathroom. I don't like public bathrooms and when you gotta go you gotta go, you know? =) I suppose you could call leaving home and hearth for the love of my life but I wouldn't really call it ruthless.
• Ravenclaw: I equate having a "ready mind" as being attentive, and at that I am horrible. I can have the worst attention span in the world, especially if something just isn't interesting. Example: I love reading. I thoroughly enjoy JRR Tolkien's writings, aka The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. ((I liked the movies better but I'm a bad bookworm!)) Got through The Hobbit just fine. Got through books 1-4 of The Lord of the Rings just fine. Every time I hit book 5, however, I fell asleep...I just can't keep up with the reading! Or Shakespeare?? I may be great at learning languages and have an ear for the spoken word, but getting around the Old English of Shakespeare? Can't do it no matter how much I love the stories. It makes me really sad!
• Hufflepuff: Just. Being just. My moral compass points due north most of the time. But sometimes I just can't resist doing something bad. And it's never anything horrible but small things. Take, for example, my job at the local bakery. It's a privately owned little thing where we can change prices of a sandwich if it doesn't have enough filling in it or discount a meat pie if it's not hot enough. If someone's being rude to me while I'm making their food I'm not above jacking up their price. I'd never spit in someone's food, though, or do anything that harms them physically in any way, but overcharging them $.50 for a sandwich because they were being ridiculously rude? Yeah, my moral compass shifts a bit. And being true? If that means lying for you to remain your friend or stealing for you? Doing "anything", illegal or otherwise "bad" things to be your friend? No. That's not the kind of true friend I'm looking for.
Or just go read it here
hogwarts_elite and my application has finally left the queue and been posted so I saw no issue with posting it on my own journal. I'm having a really difficult time sorting myself, maybe because I have a very specific idea of what houses I would be/should be/have been in. So far I've gotten a large handful of Hufflepuff votes (where one has commented that I might have a few "scales") and one vote for Slytherin. I'm so confuzzled!! O_o01. Name: Lita
02. How did you find out about Hogwarts Elite? jaxadora Jax of Hufflepuff! =)
||MIRROR OF ERISED||
03. What do you wish to accomplish in life?
A life full of love and happiness is what I wish to accomplish in this lifetime. I have no desires to win fame, fortune, or even to amass an entourage of friends or family. Not to say that I don't wish any friends or family. I love my family. But as they do not fully understand who I am or the lifestyle I desire, they are not my focal point. I enjoy seclusion as much as I enjoy a crowd, thus my friends are few and carefully selected from the multitudes that I have come to interact with. I, according to friends, have done what few people in this world have done in finding the one person on this planet who is right for me. He is my world and makes me the happiest I have ever been and ever will be. I live for love and in doing so live for him. I have left family and friends to be with him, to move across an ocean to be with him. That's the love portion down. Happiness just comes along for the ride after that. Anything that makes me happy will do. Everyday life and the things that come with it, whether that be learning a new language just for the heck of it, travelling to Scotland because my Australian hubby is of Scottish heritage (go figure), or even going back home to California to go to Disneyland again. Whatever else life has to send my way, I relish the thought because the "accomplished" life I envision has only just begun.
04. Describe exactly what you would see in the Mirror of Erised. (This is not the same question as #03.)
A thick pair of socks! There is little else I desire than to find love, which I have done. My ambitions are few, and the only other thing that pulls at the corners of my mind is a small desire to find my dream job. Some have eluded to the idea that it might be motherhood, as it is one of many things I have yet to experience or discover. =) It makes me smile to imagine what my husband and I would look like with a family in tow. So perhaps that is what I would see, a large smiling family stand around the two of us, everyone hugging with no family drama and a definite feeling of comraderie and kinship between them all, just as Harry did the first time he ever looked into the Mirror. And yes I know it says exact but nothing is ever exact until it happens.
05. What makes a person deserving of your respect?
The thing I wish most from people who desire my respect is that they give me an honest and open introduction. For me, first impressions are quite an important thing because I am rather judgmental--though most people never see it at first--and I will be quick to form an opinion of someone even before I am ever introduced to them. Being polite and appropriate to the situation is what catches my eye usually. Knowing how to gauge your surroundings and act accordingly will always keep my door open to you.
06. What is your biggest pet peeve?
Hmmm. I guess not knowing when enough is enough. I'm a patient and tolerant person and I can withstand a lot. People have actually tried to get me to yell at them or get angry and it just doesn't happen that often (unless I'm in the middle of a mood swing or otherwise). It generally takes a good long while of something that's particularly annoying to me before I'll acutally say anything. It's been compared with Luna and her tolerance of people taking her things. She never gets mad or angry, just puts up fliers at the end of year so she can at least get her things back.
07. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
I'm actually quite happy with the person I am at this point in time. If anything, I'd wish for more ambition but truth be told I'm actually really happy not wanting anything. The only reason I want more ambition is because my parent's don't think much of the way I've steered my life. I'm a 28-year-old college drop out, no degree, no career path, no future other than the one that involves my husband and whatever may come along. It is because I desire to be "more" in the eyes of my parents that I would wish for this at all. It may also have stemmed from the fact that for a while I thought I was a sociopath for not having any ambition but that's just silly.
08. If you could do any one thing and suffer no consequences, what would it be?
I'm adopted and although I've never really given it a huge amount of thought otherwise, I've always been curious as to how my life would have turned out if my biological parents had never given me up. Would fate have been as kind to me? Would I be as hard working, as devoted to certain people? Finding out those things and not developing a strong desire to see them through or to change something in my current life would be an amazing discovery even though it would be as though it never happened anyway. So ignorance really is bliss.
09. What do you think are your top five positive characteristics?
01. Compassion -- Despite a seemingly icy exterior at times, I'm extremely understanding of other people's misfortunes and am always willing to lend an ear. I will even go so far as to try and help fix things when I am able, if the other party is open to it. If I can't, I'll do what I can to point them in a fixing-the-situation direction. I feel for other people's pain. =(
02. Adaptability -- I may not like change all the time but when it happens I will more often than not have any trouble adapting to the situation straight off the bat. If I don't, I'll research and figure out how to ease my way into things as quickly as possible. Falling into this category also includes quick learner. I have a steep learning curve and catch onto things fairly quickly so when I want to learn something it happens sooner rather than later. I'm also quite flexible. I have no life =D so if something comes up I can usually do it.
03. Resilience -- I bounce back quite easily. Brush it off and keep going! Fall down, get back up and try again. Breakup with a guy? Well, it only ever happened once but I sprang back into action fine enough afterwards. I guess I can attribute it to compartmentalising well. But no matter what the occasion, if I fail at it I'll try and try again. Can't really keep me down. Even if I don't like it? Yeah...do it anyway because once I've committed to something, well, I've committed to it haven't I? Which brings me to my next one...
04. Work Ethic -- I have a ridiculously high work ethic. Once I start something I will do my best to finish it as quickly and as efficiently as possible. If I don't know how to do it, I'll do whatever it takes to figure out how to do it, so long as it's morally ethical and legal. =) Unless it's an arts and crafts thing that's purely for myself. If that's the case, I'll work on that on and off whenever I feel like it no matter how long it takes. I suspect my arts and crafts are more a stress release or something along those lines.
05. Fun-loving -- I love having fun as much as the next person. I'm up for most of the "safe" stuff, so no skydiving for me but I'll go out to a bar if a friend wants me to. I'll go to Disneyland or go to the beach or do whatever's on the agenda if it's entertaining. I'm open to most things being fun, go-kart driving, mini-golf, going to the movies, girl's night out, girl's night in, couples nights, go tp a friend's house? Give me an event and I'm there. I spent all day at a 3-year-old's birthday party watching them slide down a water slide from inside a bounce house into a pool of water, trying to hit a pinata, running around in handmade capes and laughing like idiots. I got a nice light red burn from it too. If it's fun for you it's mostlikely fun for me. But like I said, no base jumping. =P
10. What do you think are your top five negative characteristics?
01. Analytical -- I analyse EVERYTHING. It's somewhat hindering mostly in making decisions, weighing pros and cons and all that. It's gotten me into trouble a few times, though, in regard to people, trying to figure someone out and overthinking things or overanalysing them which brings on the ((see next answer))
02. Pessimism -- How did that get there?! Yeah, I'm a ridiculous pessimist. Up until the day we got married, I was in denial that my husband loved me truly or that he should even BE in love with me but somehow he fought through it and here we are still married a year and a half later. We'll see what's going on in ten years, shall we? Okay okay, I'm not always a pessimist but the bad strands of it pop up from time to time. It goes hand in hand with the perfectionist strand of DNA that roams through me. Nothing ever goes right and it's always my fault if it goes wrong and if something's not perfect it's because I did it and it never will be perfect ever...
03. Brutal Honesty -- It doesn't happen a lot but when I think it matters I can be hurtfully honest. Had I been a character in the HP series, I would've told Ron straight off the bat, in other not so nice words, that he shouldn't be such a prig and there are other things he needs to be angry about. I told both of my best friends that their significant others were great big *insert mean word here* and they could both do better. One took it to heart and got a boyfriend who is SO much better and they'll be getting engaged later this year/early next year. The other...didn't and is sadly still with this idiot who doesn't do a thing for her. I'm mean, really, who complains about a vacation to HAWAI'I when their girlfriend pays for EVERYTHING?!?! He's a leech and I hate him. =( grrrrr.
04. Oblivious -- As much as I claim to pay attention to some certains, I am more often than not oblivious to some things. Nobody ever tells me what when it happens but they all roll their eyes and shake their heads and give you that look. Yeah you know what I'm talking about because everyone has that look for something. And then I almost sorta get whiney because they won't tell me what it is. It's completely childish, fun in a weird way, and ever so slightly annoying in another way.
05. Does not being able to figure out 5 negative characteristics count as my fifth? As analytical as I am of myself and everything else I'm having a hard time separating a fifth thing to categorise for y'all. It all keeps falling back into bits and pieces of the other characteristics... You could go as far as saying Open-mindedness is a negative aspect. Yes, I said I was judgmental at first impressions but I'm really open minded about a lot of other things. Don't want to make too big a deal but religious tolerance is a big one. I'm a professed Christian but I'm not "in your face" about it. My husband is agnostic and I'm okay with that. I'm pro-homosexuality, much to the chagrine of my parents. I'm not against abortion in general, though I'd never choose it for myself. And getting off the political issues track...
||HOGWARTS, A HISTORY||
11. Who is your favorite character in the Harry Potter series?
Dumbledore! I can't fully explain my love of Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore but I'll do my best. I love that he's so quirky. I love that he's so knowledgeable but because of his past and because of the knowledge he's rather humble about it, compared to how he could've been. JK Rowling's explanation of why Dumbledore is the way he is just astounds me. I read this from Wikipedia and it blows my mind:
On 19 October 2007, Rowling was asked by a young fan whether Dumbledore finds "true love". Rowling said that she always thought of Dumbledore as being homosexual and that he had fallen in love with Gellert Grindelwald, which was Dumbledore's "great tragedy"; Rowling did not explicitly state whether Grindelwald returned his affections.[13][14][15] Rowling explains this further by elaborating on the motivations behind Dumbledore's flirtation with the idea of wizard domination of Muggles: "He lost his moral compass completely when he fell in love and I think subsequently became very mistrustful of his own judgement in those matters so became quite asexual. He led a celibate and a bookish life."[16]
I'm saddened that love is what changed him so drastically but then again love does that to many people and it's merely a part of life, isn't it?
I enjoy that he's such a 3-dimensional character, developing from a quirky, wise old professor in the beginning of the story to a character with such an intense background and such a darkness in him that is so much more than the darkness that anyone else has in their hearts. Was he conniving and deceptive in parts of it? Yes but there are reasons he did what he did and he's not perfect. People make decisions everyday and Dumbledore's, though for the greater good, were his to make. No good deed goes unpunished, or so they say. Dumbledore's were just on a larger scale with larger consequences which he at least thought about beforehand. It's almost Slytherin of him, to be that ruthless with Harry, isn't it? Or would you go the other way and call it courage, making a decision that no one else could make?
So yes, despite the decisions he made and all his faults, I love Albus Dumbledore to death. The fact that he's a music supporter and his name means bumblebee in Old English may or may not have anything to do with it as well.
12. Who is your least favorite character in the Harry Potter series?
Oh who's not to like? I mean, I even like the bad guys! It's a fictional series so it's hard for me to not like anyone. They all do things I like and don't like... Although, I think if I'd really have to choose it'd be Remus and Tonks as a tie. Dying for a cause and leaving behind a young child? Even if you had plans for that "just in case" circumstance, I can't understand making that sacrifice. Molly and Arthur I see as a different situation because all of their children are either of age or in the care of someone of age and, to be honest, Ginny's got it made because she's got Harry. All their other children can fend for themselves. Remus and Tonks JUST HAD THEIR KID. He's not even a year old and they're considering sacrifice for the cause. That just screams wrong to me, Gryffindor or not.
13. What was your favorite plot or character revelation in the Harry Potter series?
No don't make me choose!!
I think one of my favourite "realisations" in the entire series, though, was when Harry figured out that Sirius was his godfather and that he'd be able to live in the Wizarding World with people who actually cared about him. That one little bit really hit home for me. Don't get me wrong, I love my family but I always yearned for a group of people who really understood me or didn't judge me for being my quirky weird self. That was one of the things I really connected with Harry on.
I was actually really touched by Narcissa at the end, actually. She chose her family and her son above "the cause" and risked a horrible and painful death and betrayal of her sister by lying to Voldemort and telling them all Harry was dead when he wasn't. If you think about it, there's so much that could have gone wrong for her had they found her out. But for love of her offspring, she risked it. I didn't think she had that much of a spine, even when she had Snape do the Unbreakable Vow to protect Draco, that was almost expected. I never expected her to take that much of a stand and turn away from it all.
14. Describe the canon qualities for each house that accurately reflect you.
• Gryffindor: Bravery, daring, nerve, and chivalry are all descriptions given by the hat in the first book. Of those, and as the introductory qualities given, nerve and chivalry would most accurately reflect me. I'm not above having a staredown with someone if they start it and I can stand up for the things I believe in when the situation calls for it with no qualms for what it might mean to reputation or otherwise. And chivalry is NOT dead! Etiquette and considerate manners are definitely in the cards for lessons to be taught to my future children. Crass language and raucous behaviour are hardly ever necessary. But yes, even I slip up from time to time. Bad me.
• Slytherin: Cunning and using any means to achieve goals were the first descriptors. If anything I have slight strategic tendencies but they were never a strength for me. Nor am I ruthless or willing to do anything to achieve my goals. If things look iffy I'll find a way around them. If I can't, then perhaps the goal isn't worth achieving.
• Ravenclaw: A ready mind, wit, learning, these were all characterised by the hat's first song. Attentive, I'm not always but I have a knack for learning and am anxious to learn things that interest me. Word plays and riddles amuse me and ohmygosh did I LOVE that the Ravenclaw Common Room entrance was a doorknocker that asked a riddle?!?! =) Was so bummed that wasn't in the movies. Wit? Not extremely but a little of it's there. Just...don't ask me to play chess. Like I mentioned earlier about strategy? Yeah...I'm a horrible chess player. So ashamed.
• Hufflepuff: Just, loyal, patient, true, unafraid of toil. Hufflepuff was given the most descriptors in the first song which gives their house and unfair advantage should anyone be sorted based on number of defining characteristics in such a way. All of these can be attributed to me in one way or another. I'm a semi-fair-weather friend in that I won't come after you if you stop talking to me, if that makes any sense. I'll always be there if you come back and need anything but I don't come looking for friends who cut the friendship from their end. I have eternal patience. Tedious things are some of my favourite things to do. I love 1000 piece puzzles, knitting, transposing music, transcribing music, word searches, etc. etc. I've actually sat and counted grains of rice once because I was bored. And as stated before I'm not afraid of hard work when necessary.
15. Describe the canon qualities for each house that do not accurately reflect you.
• Gryffindor: Daring I am not!! Trying new things is not listed under my favourite things to do. I won't go wrestling a croc for thrills, no skydiving, basejumping, ziplining, cliff diving...none of it. Of course, if you've noticed, most of those things require heights. Them's be things I don't like. Try a new food? Sure, I love food. Listen to a new band? Definitely. Music is food for the soul. I'm a bit camera shy so I'm usually taking the pictures and not posing for them. Not sure what happened though because as a kid I was a huge ham for the camera.
• Slytherin: I am severely lacking in ambition and ruthlessness. I have no strong desires to ever do anything except to have love in my life and have never needed anything done so badly that I was willing to do anything to get it done. Except go to the bathroom. I don't like public bathrooms and when you gotta go you gotta go, you know? =) I suppose you could call leaving home and hearth for the love of my life but I wouldn't really call it ruthless.
• Ravenclaw: I equate having a "ready mind" as being attentive, and at that I am horrible. I can have the worst attention span in the world, especially if something just isn't interesting. Example: I love reading. I thoroughly enjoy JRR Tolkien's writings, aka The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. ((I liked the movies better but I'm a bad bookworm!)) Got through The Hobbit just fine. Got through books 1-4 of The Lord of the Rings just fine. Every time I hit book 5, however, I fell asleep...I just can't keep up with the reading! Or Shakespeare?? I may be great at learning languages and have an ear for the spoken word, but getting around the Old English of Shakespeare? Can't do it no matter how much I love the stories. It makes me really sad!
• Hufflepuff: Just. Being just. My moral compass points due north most of the time. But sometimes I just can't resist doing something bad. And it's never anything horrible but small things. Take, for example, my job at the local bakery. It's a privately owned little thing where we can change prices of a sandwich if it doesn't have enough filling in it or discount a meat pie if it's not hot enough. If someone's being rude to me while I'm making their food I'm not above jacking up their price. I'd never spit in someone's food, though, or do anything that harms them physically in any way, but overcharging them $.50 for a sandwich because they were being ridiculously rude? Yeah, my moral compass shifts a bit. And being true? If that means lying for you to remain your friend or stealing for you? Doing "anything", illegal or otherwise "bad" things to be your friend? No. That's not the kind of true friend I'm looking for.
Or just go read it here
