Potions is a subtle art...
Name: Kayla
Age: 15
AIM Screename ( if you have one ): KaAnYnLeA
Who referred you here - username and house, if possible: Nah, just random searching.
1. Which of the Harry Potter books have you read? Which did you enjoy most? I've read all six. Each of the books had a different quality about them, but my favorite is Goblet of Fire, hands down. I, like most people, enjoy a nice surprise every once in a while. This was probably the only book of the six where I was constantly going “What?” and “Wait a second…” before going back to re-read the passage.
JKR was really good about dropping little hints throughout the book - Moody and his hipflask; the recurring “omg there is a beetle on u” scenario and so on. It’s just one of those books where, after you’re done reading it, you just have to smack yourself in the forehead for not catching on earlier.
This book is, in my opinion, the beginning of this story. The first three were good, yeah, but I can’t help but feel like the only purpose they really served was to set up this one book and, consequently, the rest of Harry’s journey. Think of all of the things we waited to see that happened in GoF:
-Harry finally has a tie to his parents, and that tie (Sirius) falls easily into place as Harry’s godfather throughout this book.
-The trio has issues. It’s adolescence, of course there should be jealousy and crushes and petty fights. We finally see that they’re flawed - they’re not just some super golden trio that can handle everything. It made them much more relatable and much more human.
-Dumbledore shows his age. There is no possible way he could not be completely stressed out. We finally see that he, too, is flawed, yet he handles himself remarkably well under pressure. I love how willingly Dumbledore was able to shove aside his aches and pains for everyone else. God, man. Everyone goes to Dumbledore. Give the man a break!
-Neville isn’t just a nervous, clumsy boy anymore. This book gives more depth to his character - we now know he has a past, and we can (well, I did at least) assume that he will potentially play a much bigger role in the series.
-We learn a little bit more about Wormtail. Yeah, he’s a coward and he’s a total bastard, but that makes him even more fascinating. His story was given mostly in Prisoner of Azkaban, but the interactions between he and Voldemort give a good idea of where exactly he went wrong. You can see that he blindly follows orders out of fear for his life. I think he’s still trying to prove that he’s good at something (he was overshadowed by James, Sirius, and Remus at school, yeah?), even if it’s a horrible, horrible thing. I really don’t think that Wormtail’s a bad person…Just terribly misguided and deathly afraid of dying/failure. He aims to please, no matter what the case may be.
-The death of someone everybody was meant to love. Cedric was just a good guy. You were really rooting for him. He’s one of those people that you try to hate because he’s so good at everything, but then he’s so nice and so modest that it’s totally impossible not to like him. From the very beginning, JKR made you very aware of how strong a presence he held, and she gave him this amazing support system (his parents, the entire house of Hufflepuff, etc.). Reading the book, you just know that he could really make a difference in the world once he graduated…and then he’s murdered. Which leads to
-The book is suddenly very dark. Don’t lie - I know you’re like me, thinking that it was evil but yay how fun and light these books are! And like, you’d heard of Voldemort, and Harry kind of encountered him, but up until then he was just kind of this myth. It was a little difficult to be “shit your pants” terrified of just a face, or a diary - certainly, what was scary, was still the power he held even then - but here you’re like “wow, now he’s a real…Harry is so screwed now.”
2. How do you feel about Voldemort as a character? (Not as a person.) I think he's a great character. He's a total bastard, but he's such an amazing enemy. It's nice to have a foe that isn't like, a revolting pig or a total idiot or a bloodthirsty serial killer; everything he does is executed perfectly, and everything he does he does for a reason. Nothing he does is messy or scrappy, and he, himself, is so incredibly clever and sneaky that I'd bet he could get anything he wanted without barely having to lift a wand. We saw how capable he is at persuading people into doing things that he wants them to do just by taking the time to talk them into it. This is the kind of person people should fear. Anyone can kill, but it takes a very smart, powerful man to be able to confuse and manipulate the hell out of you before he does it.
3. Which Harry Potter character can you most relate to? (In the sense of personality, intelligence, character traits, etc.) Ginny, probably. All my life I've been rejected/misunderstood and overshadowed by siblings. I'm also constantly being underestimated, so I've got this intense desire to prove to everyone that I'm a capable human being and not just "some girl". I do have something of a short temper, as well, when I'm provoked, and I've got the same dry sense of humor as she does. We don't know that much about Ginny academically, but she did really well at the DA sessions and she's never lost her cool about getting stuff done because she knows she can do it and she know she can do it well. I don't have the confidence she does, though. And, funny story...my older brother, growing up, had these two best friends the similarities they held to the trio were uncanny. My brother was the wisecracking sidekick, his friend Hannah the brainy stickler, and his friend Ben the fearless leader. And I was like, completely infatuated with Ben for ages. It was completely pathetic. This was like, 12 years ago, too, so we were all tiny. I didn't even know him but I was just in love with the idea of him, you know? And this crush lasted until I was 11, when he found out. Then suddenly I was so shy around him and would go out of my way to avoid being near him. Hannah and I are pretty much best friends now, and we make jokes about JKR stalking us and stuff.
4. Who is your favorite Harry Potter character? Least favorite? I adore Neville Longbottom. All I’ve ever wanted to do since the first book was just give him a hug. He’s such a loveable character; I can certainly understand why it would be frustrating to be around him - having him as a student, in your dorm, in your class - but I just can’t help but love him. I think he’s the one character that everyone can relate to: He can be clumsy and he gets nervous really easily when he’s put on the spot; he knows what is right and, even though he’s terrified to say anything, he does; he’s never really been accepted by anyone, so there’s that constant feeling of insecurity and feeling rejected; and I guess, in some sense, the distance from his parents. Obviously, it would be nearly impossible to have any sort of relationship with them by this point, as they’re mentally incapacitated, but I’m sure a lot of people feel like their parents don’t really know them. And they long for their parents to listen, but there is some boundary separating them.
I love, love, love that JKR gave Neville the back-story that she did. I hate that it’s so sad, yeah, but I like how it shows the difference between he and Harry. Harry tends to be very…public with his angst - this is justifiable, of course - but Neville is a little more introverted and keeps things to himself. They’re both just two very different but equally as brave heroes.
Harry even admitted in the fourth book that he had no idea what Neville had gone through and that he feels guilty for not having asked. This is both good and bad for Neville:
GOOD: It shows that he’s tough, and he’s able to see good in the world even though he doesn’t really have anything. He understands that his problems are just that - his problems. He’s been able to accept the fact that his parents probably won’t be healed any time soon and he’s not going to let that thought consume him and stop him from living his own life.
BAD: It proves that Neville has been overlooked and truly underappreciated. There have been glimpses, throughout the books, of his unwavering loyalty to those around him and his desire to be someone - traits that I find very admirable - glimpses that were expanded on after GoF. Up until that point (Harry learning about Neville’s parents), Neville wasn’t taken seriously and wasn’t recognized as a true Gryffindor. That’s really sad.
I really can't stand Percy. I respect people with ambition and drive because I am both ambitious and driven, but people who are overly so just rub me the wrong way. I could never imagine putting my family second to a job, or to school, but he did. I can’t help but feel like he took what he had for granted - the Weasleys obviously don’t have a lot of material possessions, but they always had each other. Then in comes someone like Harry, who grew up with nothing. He’s someone you can sympathize with and someone who can fully appreciate the Weasleys as if they were his family. Comparatively, your natural inclination is to “side” with someone like Harry.
Even at school, Percy was rolling on one giant power trip. He had a huge ego but, instead of treating people like his inferiors like Malfoy, he just kind of…separated himself from people who couldn’t, in some way, help him in the future.
I can understand how difficult it can be, being a part of a family that large - especially being in the middle. There is a lot of competing against one another (as Ron has pointed out) but there is also a lot of love.
There just wasn’t anything that Percy did that I liked, and everything he did do seemed to make me dislike him more. Or maybe it's because I can understand how the other Weasley siblings felt; my dad left my family for selfish reasons. For as long as I can remember he's put us second, and I just can't stand the thought that his kids and his wife don't mean the world to him. I just can't find it in me to like or even have any tolerance for anyone who even remotely resembles him.
5. What thing, event, or person has had the most impact in your life? (Please don't use yourself because you can't think of someone/something else. Think hard!) I get sick. A lot. Many doctors have tried to find an explanation, but they always end up telling me it's all in my head and that a nice heavy dose of antidepressants will clear everything right up. It never does. In any case, me constantly flitting in and out of boughts of illness means that I'm constantly flitting in and out of life. It's impacted my schoolwork, my athletics, my social life, my family life, and so on and so forth. It's really messed with my head. I'm constantly alone and feel alienated by the world, even though I'm pretty sure that I'm the one pushing people away. I know that I'm not supposed to use myself, but you ask right in the question what has had the most impact on my life and this is it. I'm not going to pull some stupid answer out of my ass just because you want me to "think outside the box" or something. I am really sick and it has really done a number on me and my surroundings. Nothing about it has been positive. I'm pretty much a posterchild for teen angst when I talk about it, though. It's a pretty sore subject with me, so I'd rather not get into it with a bunch of people I don't know.
6. What makes a friendship valuable to you? Being friends with someone who is willing to reciprocate the same actions. It's really hard feeling like you're the only part of this group of friends that give two shits, and it's even worse when you realize that you care more about them they do to about you. They need to be loyal and trustworthy, and never ever go back on their word. They need to be independant thinkers -- I can't stand people who are too clingy or too needy or too ready to conform. They need to make me laugh. They need to add balance. I need balance and stability or I go out of my mind. Basically, I'm willing to be a crutch for them if they're willing to be the crutch for me; there needs to be that element of trust and the willingness to sacrifice. If you haven't got that, then you're being screwed over.
7. If you had a hero (real or literary) who would it be? (Please keep in mind that we're asking IF you had one, and again please don't use yourself because you can't think of someone else. Be creative!) Michelle Akers is my hero. She was a starter on the US Women's National Soccer Team that won the gold medal. She suffers from chronic fatigue syndrome -- among other ailments -- and has managed to accomplish so much. I know what it's like to be in chronic pain, and I get frustrated a lot. It sounds corny, but it's really inspirational to know that someone has fought their illness and -- while they still have it -- grits it out because they have places they want to go. Her story is a real kick in the ass everytime I start to feel moody or angry.
8. What are your personal aspirations for your future? Right now I want to get the hell out of my town. It's a dingy shithold located in the asscrack of Boston and it's filled with nothing but narrow-minded elitists. I can't stand it here. In the long run, I want to go into medicine. I want to go to a school that actually fits me and do well for myself. If not in medicine than in journalism -- photo or non -- or maybe even education. All I know is that I want to be successful; to me that doesn't necessarily mean rich and stuff, but I kind of just want to be happy with something I do, you know? The money will most certainly be welcomed, but I think that if I can do well on a personal level than it'll push me to do even better on a professional one.
9. What are your most prominent personality traits, good or bad? Which one do you feel best defines who you are as a person?
-I'm very honest. Some people appreciate it and some people don't.
-I'm a fighter. I kind of mean that in all forms of the word. I'm a fighter in the sense that I'm tenacious and don't give up, and I'm a fighter in the sense that I'm not afraid to take off the gloves and battle -- whether it be verbal or physical. It has to be justified, though; I don't like starting trouble for the sake of starting trouble. That's just not my style.
-I can laugh at myself. I have a good sense of humor, so I can handle playful teasing. If it's meant to be vicious, though, I won't stand for it.
-I'm clever. I mean, I'm booksmart and stuff too, but I pride myself on being clever. You'll go a lot further in life if you can think quickly and act quicker.
-I'm ballsy. I'm typically the one who'll argue something if it's important to me, or approach a bully, or try somthing new. I try to do everything as respectfully as possible, because I'm not a rude person. I've got nerve, but I've got limits.
-I'm very...intense. Again, this can be good or bad depending on the situation. I can get a little carried away and I'll admit that I can get a little bit too "in your face" at times.
-The list goes on...
I try not to let myself think that only one particular personality trait defines me. I'm sure that lots of people have listed the same things that I have, but they most probably didn't have my exact list. Anyone can be honest, or a fighter, or funny. I don't want to be "anyone". I am the way I am because of all of my personality traits put together.
10. What house combination do you feel you're most like? Least like? (This is not pushing. It shows whether or not you are self-aware and may not have an influence on the voting process.) I dunno...I'd probably do best in an environment like Slytheriffin or Slytherclaw or Ravendor or somewhere where my good traits can sometimes be overshadowed by my bad ones. I need to be somewhere for intelligent people who tend to use their minds as heir weapon instead of facts. And I don't think that they're all nicey-nicey, but I don't see myself as being nurturing enough to be in anything tied to Hufflepuff.
11. Why should we not squib you? Because Jesus wouldn't want you to.