30 Days of Harry Potter, Day 5
Fave male character and why
I...I can't do this, guys. It is literally and physically impossible for me to choose one male character. So I'm doing my top five. TRY AND STOP ME.
1. Ron Weasley
Let's not kid ourselves; Ron is kind of an asshole. He can be very unkind and can hold a grudge like nobody's fucking buisness. But dear god, I LOVE HIM SO. He's sassy and hilarious and has some of the best lines of the entire series. He's incredibly loyal and defends what he believes in to the death. Even when it takes him a while to get over himself, he always makes the right decision in the end. Like they said in Deathly Hallow, the important thing about him is not that he leaves, but that he always decides to come back. There is nothing I can say that will summarize the awesomeness of this GQ motherfucker.
I also kind of want to marry Rupert Grint. That helps.
2. Harry Potter
I don't understand people who love the series but don't like Harry. How can you not like Harry? Moreover, how can you read seven books ABOUT Harry without liking him? He does have an annoying habit of not thinking through his actions that drives me crazy, and CAPSLOCK!HARRY from OotP was really only good for the lulz. But he wouldn't be a good protagonist if he didn't have his flaws. He's fucking ridiculously brave, facing almost certain death at ELEVEN FUCKING YEARS OLD. You know what I was doing at 11? Complaining about my new braces. He follows his instincts even when everyone else tells him he's batshit, and while this doesn't always go well I admire that quality. He has so much pain and despair and manages to fight through it. As someone dealing with depression, that struggle is very poignant to me and I love him so much for it.
Also? He's a sassy motherfucker. His "there's no need to call me sir, Professor" was one of my favorite lines in the series.
3. Albus Dumbledore
Dumbledore is basically my lifespiration. I want to approach problems like he does. He's calm and quirky and seems to find almost any situation amusing without losing appreciation for its seriousness. JKR said she gave him the name Dumbledore (meaning "bumblebee" in Spanish) because she imagined him walking through the halls of Hogwarts, humming to himself. That is why I love him in a nutshell.
Also? He's the motherfucking HBIC to end all HBICs. You do not mess with this goddamn wizard. And even while he kicks the ass of everyone in the United Kingdom, he remains polite. Some people have stopped liking him after the revelations about his past, but I love him more for having gone though what he did and making mistakes and still becoming the personification of all things fabulous. He's like my grandpa on steroids and it's AWESOME.
4. Remus Lupin
Every time I reread the series, I love this man a little more. It is SO HARD to be him, guys. He faces prejudice that prevents him from any kind of success and endures bone-breaking transformations every month. He's so self-loathing that he's afraid to even be around his child. The only people who ever accepted him were killed or shipped off to Azkaban. And yet he's an incredibly gentle, self-possessed man who cares deeply about those around him while never expecting to get the same care in return. I love how his civility contrasts the wolf he becomes, as if he feels the need to be in constant control of himself to make up for the fact that he can't control being a werewolf. You can feel the strain on him just to be a person living in the world. He's one of those characters that inspire such a rush of affection in me that I just want to hug him forever and tell him that he's loved and appreciated.
And though I ship Remus/Sirius like it's MY JOB, I think it's kind of awesome that he ended up with someone like Tonks. She's clumsy and loud and ridiculous and has COLOR-CHANGING HAIR, and is basically the opposite of everything that Remus makes himself out to be. It really solidifies that Remus has a crazy, fun side to him that he's just too afraid or uncomfortable to show most of the time.
(Now that I've typed this list out, I think Remus might actually be my favorite favorite. But don't tell the others; I still love them dearly.)
5. Sirius Black
What a fucking fabulously crafted character this is. He really does have all the makings of a raving murderer, but he's good! I just finished re-reading POA and his appearance might be the best character entrance of the series. He can be a total douche and his treatment of Snape in their schooldays was unexcusable, but dear god I still love him. Can we talk about what he went through? TWELVE GODDAMN YEARS in Azkaban. How does he still function? How does he still care and love so deeply? How does he still fight? Because he's amazing, that's how. And as with Remus, I love the contrast of wildness and civility in him (though in his case wildness usually wins, whereas civility dominates Remus). He's loud and brash but also incrediblely well spoken and intelligent. UNF CHARACTER DEPTH UNF.