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[borg_princess]

• What sort of profession in the wizarding world would you choose and why?
  
  I’ve always been happiest in libraries, so I suppose I’d choose to be a librarian. I’d be a lot friendlier than Madam Pince, though, and be happy to help people find what they’re looking for. But woe betide anyone who’s careless with a book!
  
  I wouldn’t mind working in a bookstore either, that would be equally acceptable, and within my limited range of skills.
  
  
• 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.
  
  Character:
  
  Lol, I had a look at a few other submissions and it’s interesting how many people said Hermione Granger! I love Hermione, I think she’s brilliant, but I would have to go with Severus Snape. ^_^ He’s a formidable wizard with a vast arsenal of defensive and offensive spells, plus he has shown the lengths he’d go to protect those in his care, so I’d definitely feel the safest in his company. (A man who’d return to a place where he was almost killed by a werewolf in order to confront that same werewolf plus an escaped convict with a grudge against him for three kids he doesn’t even like, that’s someone who takes his responsibilities seriously)
  
  Besides, his personality alone would put off most of the scary creatures that lurk in the Forbidden Forest, hee!
  
  Object:
  
  Hmm. My first instinct was to choose a gun. In case I’m disarmed, that’d come in handy to defend myself.
  
  But I do like to take liberties with these questions and try to find a way to gain an advantage for myself while still remaining technically within the given parameters (obeying the letter, if not the spirit of the law), so…I think I’ll pinch Hermione’s idea and take a bag with an Undetectable Expansion spell on it… That way, I can stash a whole bunch of weapons and food and clothes and other supplies in it, hehe. ^_^
  
  (I know, this is probably in the same realm as those cheat answers like wishing for more wishes, but nothing ventured, nothing gained…besides, it never made sense to me that you couldn’t wish for more wishes!)
  
  
• 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?
  
  Again, so many people answered this question the same way and refused the offer of eternal life- while I’d like to be different and stand out from the crowd, I have to say, I don’t think I could bear it. I need security and stability, I cling to the people I’m close to, so to forever be losing them and having to go on alone, finding new people to care for and then to lose them as well…no, I really could not deal with that.
  
  Besides, I note the question doesn’t guarantee eternal youth, just eternal life. And I hate the notion of living forever as an old granny with creaky joints and cataracts and assorted other health problems, how horrible would that be?! *winces*
  
  Also, what if I got trapped somewhere? Like Claire on Heroes, who fell down a rift in the earth and had centuries of being surrounded by dirt to look forward to. Imagine going nuts from having nothing to do and knowing you could never escape, not even death would offer release… *shudders* That would be total hell.
  
  
• If you could travel back in time to one point, when and where would you go? Why?
  
  If this question relates to my own life.
  
  I’d say I would like to revisit myself in my final year of high school. Tell her to chillax and not over-react to minor things, to just slow down and appreciate the good things and the good people in her life and not take them for granted.
  
  I was in such a bad place mentally speaking in my last year, I was utterly convinced that I was going to bomb at the exams and I wouldn’t get into uni (to the point where I didn’t want my family at the graduation dinner because I thought I’d fail everything and it would be pointless to attend). And then I ended up one of the top ten students, lol, so there you go. That was after a year of unremitting self-loathing, self-mutilation, constant crying jags, sitting through a thousand lectures and rants from my parents about how I wasn’t doing enough, how I wasn’t achieving high enough results…
  
  And then after that brief moment of euphoria when it looked like it was going to be okay, the most important relationship in my life ended, and then my grandfather died from cancer, and I went totally off the rails and to cut a long story short, wound up failing out of my course at uni.
  
  So yeah. I’d tell my younger self to cut herself some slack, it’s all going to be okay for that one year at least, to hate herself less and spend more time with the people that matter to her because they’re going to leave her in one way or another and she’s going to regret not making the most of it while she had the chance. And I would book her a counselor, because I think I would probably have a degree and a stable job right now if I’d had someone to talk to about all this crap back then.
  
  If I could time-travel within the context of HP?
  
  I’m not sure. It depends on whether I can mess with the timeline or not, and to what degree. (yes, I’m very analytical, I will spend ages considering every possible permutation and coming up with addendums to everything, lol, just bide with me)
  
  Screwing the timeline on a major scale:
  I know what Merope did was wrong, okay, but I really hate Dumbledore’s attitude to her- ‘oh, she wasn’t as brave as Lily, she chose to die like the selfish coward she is’. O.o
  
  Never mind that the girl’s been abused for years, probably mental ill, and wound up starving on the streets in the cold of winter without shelter while pregnant. Yet she still managed to drag her weak, malnourished body to a place where her baby had a chance of survival, instead of just curling up in a corner to die without giving her child a second thought, because that’s how strong her maternal instinct was. So I would’ve liked to have been able to help her get through child-birth alive and to see how things would’ve turned out if she had been around to raise Tom Riddle and to give him love and guidance and shape his life. With affection and support, might he never have become the Dark Lord?
  
  Screwing the timeline on a (relatively) minor scale:
  I would’ve pulled that article on the Weasleys’ vacation to Egypt from the paper- just think about it, if that article had never been published (or at least, without a picture of them), Sirius Black would never have recognized Scabbers, he wouldn’t have broken out of Azkaban to go after him, never would’ve scared him out of hiding (the guy was happy to hide out as a rat for over a decade! He’d’ve died as Scabbers if his cover hadn’t been blown) and Peter wouldn’t have gone off to resurrect Voldemort. All is well! Voldy’s second rise never happens, some qualified curse-breakers destroy his Horcruxes, Cedric and Cho get to live happily ever after, Harry eventually dies and that last Horcrux in him is taken care of, ergo, Voldy will never trouble the world again.
  
  Not screwing the timeline at all:
  Hmm. But…what’s the fun of time-traveling if you don’t get to change things? Oh, hang on! I’d pick up anti-venin, wait til the Trio have left the Shrieking Shack and save Snape. ^_^ They’re not medical experts, nobody checked his pulse, who’s to say he didn’t just lose consciousness but was still alive, in time for me to treat his wounds? ^_^
  
  
• What HP character do you identify with most and why?
  
  Hermione Granger. During my high school phase, I was, in some respects, like Hermione.
  
  My second home was the library, it was my sanctuary, I loved being surrounded by books. When I had no friends, I was always comforted by a good book.
  
  I read all the prescribed texts before school started, just so I could put my hand up in class and volunteer all the answers. (surprisingly, this did not make me the most popular girl at school)
  
  I was clever, but I wasn’t a genius. I could memorize the books, just about, but I couldn’t see creative new ways to apply my knowledge, I went by the book. Just like those flashes of brilliance that characterized Snape’s innovative work with potions or the twins’ ability to develop amazing inventions was not Hermione’s strong suit. We like order and certainty and the guarantee of success by doing it the tried-and-true way, not the scary unpredictable results from experimenting and risking failure.
  
  I was a little insecure with my friendships and I would do some of the work for my friends, because my cleverness was my greatest asset and I wanted them to value me.
  
  I was rather possessive of my friends and a little threatened by anyone who gained prominence in their lives. (now, Hermione comes off as a self-possessed, confident little thing, but she was totally passive-aggressively messing with Harry’s relationship with Cho, even if it was sub-conscious, and well, look at how she reacted to Lavender. ‘nuff said)
  
  The constant bickering with the guy I liked. Oh, god. Talk about fighting like cats-and-dogs. Though we never had that watershed moment during a war where suddenly all that UST-generated-conflict melted away and we threw ourselves at each other in a moment of (inappropriately timed) heated passion, so. Yes. The path diverges there.
  
  But I also really identify with Neville Longbottom, minus the BAMF awesomeness he later developed. Just the crippling insecurity, the lack of self-belief, the self-fulfilling prophecy where we’d believe we were no good and that mindset would inevitably lead to failure, disappointing our families who expected much better, having no close friends, etc. etc.
  
  
• What would you see if you looked into the Mirror of Erised?
  
  Hmm. The most important things that I want are to achieve success and to find love. I can’t say which is more important, because I would be happy to be successful and self-sufficient and doing really well and supporting myself in a fabulous career, or I would be equally thrilled to find someone who adores me and is wholly committed to me and with whom I could spend the rest of my life in a happy, fulfilling relationship.
  
  But I don’t know if that’s what the Mirror would show me. Those things are important to me, but…I’m a lazy, underachieving person who would love to be someone better and to be appreciated in that flattering and glorious light, when it’s so far removed from who I am or think I could be.
  
  So I don’t know if the Mirror would show me the person I could be if I lived up to my full potential or if it would show me going on the way I am now, that years from now, I’d still a lazy butt who embraces procrastination and doing nothing much of anything and spending all day, everyday on the computer, blissfully enjoying online life and ignoring that pesky thing called reality.
  
  ‘coz that’s all pretty damn idyllic and a future I am ashamed to say I would consider the closest thing to heaven. If I could just live on the internet for the rest of my life and never have to work to support myself, that would be fantastic. (I honestly don’t know how people juggle life and LJ, I really don’t)
  
  
• Do you believe that moral actions should be judged by the intentions behind them, or by the consequences they create?
  
  I originally thought the question was in relation to an action, any type of action in general, only now that I’m reading it carefully- a moral action, specifically? So we’re judging the intentions or consequences of an action that is considered necessary for the greater good?
  
  (I hate that phrase, btw. ‘For the greater good’. It’s used way too often to justify frankly horrible and repugnant behavior)
  
  This is an interesting question. Assuming the action is supposed to be beneficial- being ‘moral’ and all- the intentions are obviously good. So we’re not looking at someone like Voldemort who wants to rule the world. I don’t judge good intentions. If you mean to achieve something positive, then more power to you, I can’t fault that.
  
  So what’s left is the consequences- and that I can and do judge. For instance, I loathe Dumbledore. There are not enough words in all the human languages combined to convey the magnitude of my loathing for this man. Yet his intentions were good- ‘I want to defeat Voldemort’- and the outcome was good- ‘my plan to defeat Voldemort through Harry was a success’, but the consequences of his actions…all the lives ruined or lost because he played God…I judge him so hard.
  
  There’s a reason that expression exists, ‘The road to hell is paved with good intentions’. The good intentions are never a bad thing, it’s how you achieve what you intended and whether you hurt anyone in the process that I will judge hard. For instance, Hermione mind-wiping her parents. Obviously with good intentions, since she wants to protect them, but to do so, she robs them of their free will, disregards their right to determine the path their lives will take, she effectively destroys who they are…this is something I have an issue with, like, so very much.
  
  The problem I have with this question is how limited it is- intentions or consequences, that’s it? That’s way too black-and-white, and a little unfair, because people don’t always know the consequences ahead of time.
  
  And what about regret, what about redemption, what about striving to make up for the wrong one did? I can’t determine my response to an individual in a particular case without knowing how they reacted to the consequences, whether they were surprised or appalled, whether they were remorseful and undertook penance of some sort. (Obviously this is my loophole for why I love Snape so much, despite his immoral actions that had terrible consequences, because damn it, he repented, all right, he sacrificed enough to make up for what he did!)
  
  I suppose I would judge the consequences of the moral action, but I would also take into consideration mitigating factors like anything the individual has done to make amends for any detrimental consequences.
  
  I’d also consider the justification for their action and the thought process they went through before committing that action- for instance, a bunch of people are mountain-climbing when someone’s equipment fails and they’re about to fall, and take someone else with them. Obviously cutting the rope is going to lead to their death, but not cutting the rope means two people will die. Cutting the rope would be a moral action with a terrible consequence, and it’s not as though you can do anything to make it up afterwards, but the circumstances, well, I can’t judge that.
  
  Gosh, I will quibble over this forever. I’ll have to settle with that annoying ‘it depends’ answer. :P
  
  
• What was your ideal job as a kid? Has that changed? What is your ideal job now?
  
  As a kid, I wanted to be either a teacher or an engineer. Because that’s what my parents do, I’m so original!
  
  Now…I don’t know what I want to be. Definitely not either of those professions, lol. I’m just not qualified to do anything, really.
  
  As for ideal job…um, personal assistant to either Emma Watson or Alan Rickman? :P
  
  Sorry, I can’t elaborate much on this one, but after my mammoth answers to previous questions, I’m sure you’ll take it as a welcome break.
  
  
• 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?
  
  Gosh, I’m so tempted to invent something that’d probably be considered a Dark spell, like a Popularity Charm that would make everyone love me and give me free things and shower me with affection, validation and gifts. :D
  
  But I probably wouldn’t be able to sustain it forever and once it wears off and people come to their senses and realize what’d happened, I’d be in big trouble. Besides, there might be more powerful witches and wizards who could resist the effect of the spell and just ruin everything, so I’ll scratch that one out. (look, I’m not opposed to immoral things, I’m opposed to getting caught, lol, if I could get away with something, I totally would do it)
  
  I’ll go with something I’ve wished I could do for years, which is create a spell called Mutatis Mutandis that would allow me to change my appearance. Not a glamour, but actually physically alter my features, so I could make my stomach smaller, my skin clearer, my hair more lustrous and stylish, etc. etc. Shallow, but there it is. Why should Tonks get all the luck, the rest of us need an easy way to deal with our body image issues, damn it!
  
  
• 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?
  
  I have an issue with boggarts. My greatest fears are rejection and loss of security. So people I love deciding I’m worthless or having no home, no money, being out on the streets. The latter couldn’t be represented by the boggart, so it’d go with the former, but…why would that affect me? I would know it wasn’t them! No matter what hurtful things they said in the guise of my loved ones, I’d be aware it wasn’t actually the real people saying that to me.
  
  (this is why I never understood why Hermione arbitrarily failed at dealing with her McGonagall!boggart- it’s not like she came upon the boggart in the hall and believed it was the real McGonagall, she was in an exam situation and obviously it was a test, so why would it upset her?)
  
  So assuming it’d go for something that would have the maximum impact, rather than a greatest fear, the boggart would turn into some kind of creepy-crawlie. I have serious issues with spiders, so, yeah, probably a huge furry spider.
  
  
  
  After the Riddikulus? It’d turn into a giant page featuring a comic strip in which Garfield whacks the non-threatening two-dimensional spider with his newspaper. ^_^ I love Garfield, he’s always delivering the smackdown on spiders, hee! ♥
  
  
  
  
• What do you look for in a friend?
  
  Someone who has similar interests, ngl, we need to have something in common to talk about, right?
  
  Someone who will love me, fear me, do as I say actually communicate frequently and want to get to know me instead of just being a name on my f-list.
  
  Um…that’s it, really. I just want to get to know people and chat regularly with them, that’s all I ask for. ^_^
  
  
• What trait most annoys you about other people?
  
  Intolerance. In real life, but also in fandom. I’ve been burned too many times, especially in the HP fandom. I hate the way people expect everyone to think like them and bash those who dare to have different opinions and tastes. I’m a live-and-let-live person, so this kind of attitude baffles and infuriates me.
  
  
• What do you think are your top five abilities or qualities?
  
  Open-mindedness. I don’t judge people for what they believe or their likes and dislikes. I think everyone’s entitled to their own opinion and I won’t bash anyone or tell them they’re wrong to think the way they do. I’ve been told one of the great things about me is my willingness to hear other sides of an issue and consider it objectively and acknowledge valid points, instead of letting my own opinions cloud the topic.
  
  Respect for others. This is related to my first point to some degree, in that I respect that people have a right to think differently from me. Even if I disagree with them, there’s no reason to start name-calling or putting them down. I love debates, but I always keep it polite and make my rebuttals in a civil manner, instead of taking it personally and insulting the other person’s position.
  
  Analytical mind. As you might be able to tell from this post, lol, I enjoy examining an issue from multiple angles and I have fun breaking things down and analyzing them to an exhausting degree. Finding nuances and exploring the motives and meanings behind them is an intrinsic part of my fangirly nature.
  
  Supportive nature. I am always there 100% for the people I care about, ready to lend a sympathetic ear or a shoulder to cry on. If anyone has a problem, I will devote all the time they need for me to either hold their hand or try to brainstorm ideas to solve the problem, and I don’t ever judge or tell anyone to ‘get over it’.
  
  Self-awareness. I’m always puzzled by people who are so self-deluded because I’ve never been able to lie to myself. I know when I’m acting badly, when I’m being unfair, what motivates my actions, even when it reflects negatively upon my character. Some people are able to pretend they do things for altruistic reasons when it’s really for their own benefit, but I’ve never successfully fooled myself (though how I’ve wished I could, on occasion).
  
  You may wonder how this is a strength, but it means that I’m not afraid of saying sorry. In the heat of the moment, I might get carried away or act belligerently, but I will realize almost immediately or soon afterwards that I was wrong and I will go and apologize to the other party. I don’t expect forgiveness straight away, I’m willing to work to earn forgiveness. (which is something a lot of people aren’t willing to do, and it does irritate me, because if you’ve done something wrong, you shouldn’t expect people to get over it and welcome you with open arms)
  
  
• What do you think are your top five weaknesses or worst qualities?
  
  Over-emotional. I tend to overreact a lot. Small things that shouldn’t affect me will end up ruining my day and I’ll brood over them for days. I get upset quite easily over perceived slights and can carry a mean grudge. I may forgive, but I don’t forget, and if I’m unhappy about something, god, there will be epic whingeing. (um, why yes, I’m high-maintenance, why do you ask?)
  
  Insecure. I don’t hate myself as much as I used to, but that’s because I’ve come to terms with the singularly untalented, incapable, helpless, useless, inexperienced person that I am. I can’t do anything right and I’m scared to death of new experiences because I’m convinced I’ll fail miserably. I’m also super clingy and possessive and get jealous very easily, because you know, the few people I’m close to, I kind of regard them as ‘mine’, lol, so I don’t take well to other people coming in and taking up their time.
  
  Lack social skills. I find it hard to talk to people in real life. If they’re in a position of authority or I’m speaking to someone in a professional capacity, I’m usually okay (unless it’s for a job *dies*), but with my peers, it’s just…I’m a godawful mess, tbh.
  
  Underachiever. I don’t know how I got to this stage. I was one of the top students at high school and now here I am, screwing up big-time at uni. I was doing law but sabotaged myself so bad I’m going to have to finish off with an arts degree instead. Woohoo, arts degree, that’s gonna take me far.
  
  Self-absorbed. It’s not that I don’t care about other people, because I do, I just…care about me a bit more? I like things that benefit me and I don’t like things that are detrimental to me, even if they’re necessary. For instance, my parents started charging me rent this year. Which, of course, is totally within their rights, I’m 22, they’re still supporting me, I’m a huge burden on them, but I’m still like…omg, my poor bank account, I don’t want to pay money to them, I want it to stay in my account and fatten it up some more! Some people are saints and always do the right thing without being prompted, but me, if I can score an advantage for myself or get out of doing something that will not benefit me at all, I’ll try my best to pursue it. Liking money is not a crime, damn it.
  
  
• Define in your own words the following key traits:
  
  • Courage: attempting to overcome obstacles, even if you are afraid. Not letting fear or other factors stand in your way, but pursuing your goal regardless.
    
  • Loyalty: standing by those you care about or work with, even when times get rough. Not abandoning ship just because it’s the easy thing to do, but staying to help your fellows.
    
  • Intelligence: it’s being accomplished in a certain area- not just in book smarts, ‘coz according to Gardner, there are a several different intelligences: mathematical, linguistic, inter-personal, intra-personal, musical, etc. etc. It’s having knowledge in a particular field and being open to learning more and applying it.
    
  • Ambition: having a goal and being prepared to put 100% towards achieving it. Being driven and highly motivated to accomplish your objective.
    
  
  
  
• Name: Annie.
  
• Age: 22
  
• Where did you find out about us? a friend (quiescent) pointed me your way. ^_^
  
• Do you plan on being active in the communities once you are sorted? I’d like to be, if I can find my place and fit in and be accepted for who I am.