Nov 30, 2005 14:32
- What sort of profession in the wizarding world would you choose and why?
I would be a bookstore owner, mostly for second-hand and collectible sorts of books. I've always enjoyed books, and I can spend hours on any given day just studying the shelves of my favorite old bookstore. I enjoy new books as well, but old ones have so much more character to them. There's an additional story there, if you can just figure out what it is. Plus, the idea of old magical books? That's just a thrill in itself. They probably really could tell me their stories!
- If you could teach one class at Hogwarts, what would it be and why?
Hmm, this is a hard one, because I'm enthralled with the idea of potions, being able to make such complex things happen from so simple of ingredients, but Chemistry and I didn't get along so well in college. For this reason, I'll go with my back-up choice of Astronomy. I've always been fascinated by the stars, and can spend hours just sitting out on the front porch and staring at the sky. Plus, I'm a night person, so having labs at night would make me happy.
- This year, The TriWizard Tournament is being held once again and you're of age. Do you put your name in the Goblet? Why or why not?
No, because I am a scaredy cat, and the fact that I have issues with forgetting how to do things when people are watching me could seriously cause me to die. I'm alright explaining how to do things, or actually doing something with a small group of people watching (like maybe 5 or 10?), but once the number gets larger my brain turns to mush, my tongue turns to cotton, and my knees turn to Jello. Granted, maybe the dragons or other critters would like to eat Jello, but I prefer not to be a lunchtime snack.
- If you could choose your animagus form, what would it be and why?
If I could choose the animagus form that I would take, I would have to choose a Peregrine Falcon. They are amazing creatures, both beautiful and intelligent. They are predatory animals, which means they have developed into amazing fast and agile birds and this could be very helpful when one needs to get somewhere quickly. Plus... who needs a broomstick that you can fall off of if you have wings of your own?
- If you could be written into any HP Series book as a new character, which book would it be, and who would your character be? Why did you choose that book/character?
If I were to be written into any of the HP books as a new character, I would choose to be added into Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets as a class and dorm-mate and best friend of Ginny Weasley. I think that having someone like her as a best friend would, in the very least, make life very interesting. She knows all of the best hexes and how to sneak around past her crazy brothers without getting caught, and I'm pretty good with plotting and planning. Between the two of us, we could cause quite a stir in the Lion's Den.
- What is your favorite magical spell/charm? Why?
My favorite spell is a relatively simple one that I think would be very useful to know at any given moment. That is, to say, that my favorite would be 'Accio'. It would be really nice to be able to just accio something across the room anytime you need it without being required to get up and leave whatever you happen to be doing at the time. I can't even tell you how many times I've wished for this ability while trying to cook a large meal and needing something from the pantry on the other side of the room.
- Name three reasons why you would like to be sorted into each House.
(In ABC Order)
Gryffindor:
- I've been told, my entire life, that I'm 'too brave'. I act before I think sometimes, while most of my friends stand back and shake their heads. Rumor has it, this is a Gryffindor quality, which would mean that I've be in with a group of people as crazy as I am. Act first, think second!
- I cherish the kinds of friendships that I see happening in Gryffindor. I love the way they stand up for one another even if they don't necessarily agree with their friends at the time.
- Maybe Gryffindor is a house full of dreamers and folks that like to stir up a little trouble. What's wrong with that?
Hufflepuff:
- Everything I feel about Hufflepuff tells me that it is filled with some of the most warm and caring people out there. Hufflepuffs are the ones that will be there to help you out when you're struggling and pat you on the back when you need encouragement.
- Patience is a virtue, they say. I agree, even if it isn't something that I always have. It's important to have friends with that virtue, friends that will be patient with you even when you continually struggle with the same problems.
- Hufflepuff isn't about being the center of attention, and it isn't about competition to be better than everyone else. Hufflepuff is about being the best that you can be, up against your own standards.
Ravenclaw: - The first thing that a person typically thinks about when they think of Ravenclaw is 'intelligence and a drive to learn'. Knowledge is a gift, and so is learning how to use it.
- Ravenclaw seems to be a pretty tightly knit group. Association with folks of other houses isn't frowned upon, but they seem to take care of their own and support their own.
- Creativity seems to be a virtue in this house, which helps to keep things from being all humdrum and boring. It also can be very helpful when trying to strive to be the best.
Slytherin:- Sure, they're cunning and a bit conniving, but what's wrong with knowing what you want and going after it? Sneaky, maybe, but sometimes, don't you have to be?
- Being a Slytherin can help set you up for life. You'll make the right kind of connections with this group, as long as you know how to follow their rules.
- Intelligence may not always be the top sign of a Slytherin, but that doesn't mean the house isn't filled with knowledge and wit. This group takes care of their own, even if it means not really participating with the other houses. Close group, I think.
- You've received your O.W.L results. What are your results? (You have to have failed or done poorly in at least one subject)
- Astronomy: E. Astronomy and math go hand in hand, as far as I'm concerned. It's all about placement in the sky and relation to other things, and it's just been something that's intrigued me with this 'need to know more' sort of addiction.
- Potions: P. I think I'd do pretty well on the written part, because I'm pretty good at theory, it's the measuring precisely and stirring 'just so' that I'd have problems with. As much as I love to cook, I use recipes as a 'guide' more than a required set of instructions.
- Transfiguration: A. This would be a favorite class for me, learning how to take something not so useful at the moment and turning it into something that you need, it's all really quite amazing. Of course, I'm not sure I'd want to drink from a goblet that was formerly a rodent..However, just because it's an interesting class, it doesn't mean that I'd be at the top of the class. It is very difficult.
- Herbology: O. I've always been really good with plants and herbs, as long as I can work with them indoors in a greenhouse or sunroom...
- History of Magic: D. As much as I appreciate learning about history (museums fascinate me), I'm more intrigued by the architecture, foods, clothes, and habits of the people and have trouble focusing on dates and causes of battles and wars.
- Charms: O. This class is also a very interesting and very useful subject, one that would be at the top of my 'need to know' list. Where else are you going to learn the proper way to float, or summon, or banish items?
- Defense Against the Dark Arts: O. I really was hoping for an E, but there are so many things to know. I really must do more studying and try to do better on my N.E.W.T.s
- Ancient Runes: O - I've always been really good with languages, and, to me, Runes is just another language. I think I'd do really well in this subject.
- If you could have any superpower - but only ONE - what would it be?
I would love to have the power to heal. It's awful to see a person sick or hurting and be unable to do anything for them. I've seen entirely too many of my family members and friends become sick and either suffer or die because of those ilnesses. That would be quite an amazing gift to have, I believe. Granted, it would put some pharmacy companies out of business (and, perhaps, even my husband, the pharmacist) but it would be worth it.
- What HP character do you identify with most and why?
Severus Snape. There is so much more to him as a person than anyone (other than, perhaps, Dumbledore) knows or cares to understand. He's such a deep character, and I truly feel that he isn't actually dark, at least not anymore. People just see him the way that he was in the past, and they see what he looks like from the outside, and they just assume they know everything about him. I feel that people look at me the same way, with this 'I know what she's about' attitude, though in more of a way that they think I'm this good little southern girl that could do no wrong... boy are they wrong.
- What would you see if you looked into the Mirror of Erised?
Right now, for me, that's a very easy question. If I looked into the Mirror of Erised, I would see myself, my husband, and our cats back in our home, the way things were just a few months ago. It may not seem like a huge ambition, but your point of view changes when something big happens in your life.
- If you won a million dollars, how would you spend it?
Oh, the library that I could build with that... and, obviously a house to put it in, but that's a different story. I want a two story library, the kind where you need one of those rolling ladders just to get to the books on the top shelves. I'd buy the beautiful leather bound versions of every book I've ever read and loved, and to every book I've ever wanted to read. I want books about language and crafts and cooking, and thick comfy chairs that will let me sit in them all night while I read. Don't forget the fireplace and the tables for hot chocolate!
- Which HP book is your favorite and why?
I think I'll have to go with Goblet of Fire as my current favorite book, but that changes. The reason why GoF is my current favorite of the books is because of the way that this book expands the wizarding world for a short period of time. We're shown what wizards are like from other parts of Europe, not just the British/Irish/Scottish wizards. It's interesting to read about the way the other groups dress, talk, and what they hold as most important. All of the other books focus so much on the world in which Harry usually resides, it's nice for the change. Also, it seems to be the real beginning of the 4th years 'growing up', learning about romance and how to deal with the way it changes your friendships.
- Which HP book is your least favorite and why?
I'm going to give it another shot, since I've only read it once so far, but I have to vote for Half-Blood Prince to be my current least favorite. That isn't saying that I don't like it, but there was just something about the story that made it more difficult for me to 'fall into' than the others. It seemed so out of place for me, so... surreal. Maybe that was the point, and I'm hoping that I'll understand it more once I've re-read it.
- What was your ideal job as a kid? Has that changed? What is your ideal job now?
It's funny, because I started saying that I was going to be a Mathematician from the time I was in the 4th grade until I was in the 8th or 9th. I had (and still don't really) no idea what a Mathematician did or does, but I knew it had to do with numbers so that's what I wanted to do. I grew out of that, though, and shifted more into an audio/video/computers sort of ideal job, even if I'm not sure I would want that as my career. I love making videos, editting, adding color and sound, it's just like magic to me.
- 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? My spell would be 'Consensio Sanus', which basically means 'Harmonious Sound'. The purpose of this would be to create a soothing, harmonious sort of music to help calm the nerves and encourage concentration. I would use it to help me focus on the task at hand instead of being distracted by the so many other things that I could be doing. Music has always been able to calm me, and I'm sure it has that same effect on others as well.
- 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'm not really sure how it would appear exactly, but my biggest fear is of plummeting to my death either in a car or an airplane, or even just falling off of the side of a mountain. The first image that comes to mind is that of an airplane with the wings ripped off, and I think that would scare me quite nicely. My Riddikulus would cause the plane to turn into a big colorful plastic toy held in the sky by a much larger hot air balloon.
- What do you look for in a friend?
In friendship, I look for a person that I know I can count on. I need someone that will be there if I need to chat at 2:00 in the morning, even if it is just online or by phone, and that knows I'll be there for them anytime as well. A friend is someone that knows when to offer advice, when to just listen, and when to actually jump in and help. A friend will send me funny pictures when I'm sick, or leave an encouraging note when they know I have something big that I have to face. I need friends that are willing to be silly and do silly girly things. I need them to like books and movies, and that can tell me what I should pick up to read when I've run out of ideas, or what movie would be worth watching and which ones I should skip.
- What is the one thing you would most like to accomplish?
Right now, my biggest goal is to become a Nationally Certified Interpreter in the US. It's a very difficult level to achieve, and I can't even dream of trying it right now, but in the future I will. And I'll do it, darn it.
- What trait most annoys you about other people?
The overwhelming need for approval, which sucks because I see some of that trait in myself. Maybe that's why I dislike it so much, because I know that it's a fault that I have as well. It's just hard to sit and watch a person go 'Look at me! Hey, I need attention! But but... why isn't anyone paying attention to me? Doesn't anyone love me?' and then see them get all self-deprecating and depressed because they don't get the attention they feel they deserve.
- What do you think are your top five abilities or qualities?
- I'm a very creative person. I love to make things, both for myself and for others, so that there's more beauty in the world. I paint, cross stitch, knit, sew, bead, and I'm learning to make things a bit better with sculpey! I play the flute, piano, and some saxophone, and I was a music major in college. I need artistic outlets in order to get through a week because they soothe me.
- I'm a good 'sounding board'. I'm a very patient listener, and usually do a pretty good job of helping people to figure out solutions to their problems by showing them that they have the answer themselves. Sometimes, a person just needs someone else to sift their thoughts through before they make sense, and I seem to be pretty good at that.
- I'm good with languages, and pick them up pretty easily. I work as an interpreter for Deaf students, so it's kind of important that I'm good at this, but I've always enjoyed learning more about other languages and seeing the way they work in comparison to my native tongue (American English).
- I'm an intelligent person. I learn well on my own. Actually, I learn best on my own, because if I'm being told to 'read this' or 'study that' my defiant nature takes over. If it comes to learning something that I actually want to know more about, I'll research it, study it, practice it until I'm satisfied. I can spend hours studying my sign language books just to learn a few new signs, and days working on knitting just so that I know how 'just in case'.
- I work well alone. Hmm, maybe that's actually a weakness... but I do. I work best when I'm in a quiet room, or a room with a little music, just left to my own devices. I fiddle with ideas or problems and come back with a solution, eventually. I don't always need someone else to be there to help me figure things out, but, as I said, it actually means that I don't work as well in groups as I should. (Does that count?)
- What do you think are your top five weaknesses or worst qualities?
- Laziness is a big issue with me. It isn't that I don't want to do things or get things done, but it's so much easier to just lounge around reading a good book or listening to a good cd than it is to actually get off my duff and do something.
- Self-consciousness about my talents or abilities. I worry entirely too much about what people think of me. Even if I know that I'm good at something, once I'm in front of other people, I feel like I'm being judged and then I have a tendency to screw up more. It's that way with music, with work, and just with day to day life.
- I'm overly emotional sometimes. I take things very personally, and so if things don't go well for me I either burst into tears or start screaming. I don't think either is the ideal way to handle the situation, but I just can't help it sometimes.
- Addictive nature is something I really wish I could overcome. I can't stay away from sweets, I just crave them and have to have them. I'm addicted to the internet and am suffering from withdrawals while living in our temporary home. I become addicted to certain types of music and can't listen to anything else for months, or watching certain tv shows or movies over and over...
- I'm both stubborn and defiant, and those qualities seem to be something I struggle with a great dea. This is the problem I have with number 4 of my 'good qualities. . I love to read, and the idea of being well-educated has always been important to me. I sign up for classes, I promise myself I'll work hard and do my best, but then I lose interest in actually doing the work. I'll go to class (most of the time), but I refuse to read a book because they want me to read it. I lose interest because it's 'required'. I've often chosen to try reading a book later on in life and have found it to be something I love, but I let myself refuse to do it 'on principle'. This stubborn nature has caused me to fail at classes that I originally took for my own interest, but I'm having trouble overcoming it.
- Define in your own words the following key traits:
- Courage: The ability to stand up and do what you feel is right, even if it scares you to pieces or means that you'll be standing alone in support of what you believe.
- Loyalty: To be there for your friends or family no matter what. It doesn't mean you have to believe in what they believe or do what they do, but it means that you will support them no matter what.
- Intelligence: Intelligence is not just the fact that one has knowledge, but more of that a person knows how to use that knowledge. It's important to learn, but it's more important to live life and figure out how to use the knowledge that you've gained.
- Ambition: The drive, want, and need to become or do what you want. It means that you have to be dedicated and strive to do everything you can in order to reach your goals, and doing it fully, not just halfway.
- Name: Jaime
- Age: 29
- What house do you think DOESN'T fit you? (This question is optional for those who feel they just DO NOT fit in a house. Please explain WHY.)
- Where did you find out about us? My friend keristars has posted about it in her LJ several times, and this time I just couldn't resist.
sorted: ravenclaw,
term iii