sort me again, please. :D

[willfully]

• What sort of profession in the wizarding world would you choose and why?
  
  It's hard for me to answer this with any certainty until I'm really sure what I'm going to do in the real world. I'm currently on the job hunt, and for a girl with a bachelor's degree in biology in this economy, it's not really possible for me to get a job on merit alone (which I don't like to admit, but it's the truth). My main connections are through UC Berkeley (through friends of my parents), the Environmental Protection Agency (a friend of a second cousin of mine... yeah, I don't even know), and the local Berkeley government (where my grandmother is a commissioner on aging - no joke - and apparently well acquainted with the mayor), it's looking like my best chances are in scientific research or politics, possibly with an environmental slant.
  
  I think I'd prefer government work, honestly; I've been doing the lab work thing for years and I'd really like to have a change of pace. I miss actually being around people and having the time to do fun things, not get absorbed in work. Plus, the world is a mess right now, and I just might have a few ideas about how to improve it, even on a small, local level.
  
  In the wizarding world, I guess that would translate to... something like a department head in the Ministry. I like the idea of having a very specific position within a larger picture, requiring specific skills. I especially want to be able to make my own decisions eventually, although I'll have to work a while until I get to that point. I can work with people well as long as I'm not directly part of a team, just an organized group of people working for the same thing. And I like challenges, too, so the Department of Mysteries would probably suit me. I think that mostly because I have no idea what it entails, and I'm intrigued. XD
  
  
• 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.
  
  Neville Longbottom, and Gryffindor's sword. Neville has a strong will and, I think, a fairly healthy survival instinct. He seems to have been the one who took charge when Hogwarts was taken over, and despite his earlier shyness, was a very capable, steady person to be with in a crisis. Yes, he took a few risks with the Death Eaters when they were at Hogwarts, but that seems like a matter of personal pride (which I don't begrudge him at all). Somehow I doubt that would apply to creatures in the forest. And, well. The reason for wanting the sword with us should be obvious, I'd think.
  
  
• 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?
  
  I'd choose to live forever, but only on one condition: if I could have eternal youth and health along with immortality. If I had to waste away for eternity, that would be worse than death (and believe me, I am terrified - absolutely, positively terrified - of dying). I can't stand pain, sickness, or weakness. I'd hate losing people, too, but as long as there were new things for me to do, life would go on.
  
  As for what I'd do - well. I'd see the world, I'd meet new people, I'd have multiple careers. I'd try to fix the world, and I'd let myself fall in love over and over again, because heartbreak would - I hope - be more fleeting, with the future stretching out before me.
  
  
• If you could travel back in time to one point, when and where would you go? Why?
  
  I am honestly not all that interested in going into the past; I never have been. History has long been my worst subject, simply because I find it boring (Professor Binns doesn't do much to commend the subject to me, either) and archaeology - which I studied in an attempt to make the past more interesting to me - is only slightly more interesting. If you asked me if I wanted to go into the future it might be a different story, but as it is, I think I'll stay in the present. I want to learn from the past (to improve the future, of course), but for now at least that's mostly my personal past and that of the people I know well. If I ever needed to know more about history, I'd look it up in a book.
  
  
• What HP character do you identify with most and why?
  
  I see something of myself in a few HP characters - Snape's ability to be on both sides of a conflict (although of course I've never done that in a war), Narcissa's family loyalty and willingness to do anything to help the ones she loves, a fraction of Hermione's schoolwork ethic, Sirius' (and Andromeda's, and others') unwillingness to accept that the traditional way of doing things is always the best way - but I've never seen any more of myself in them than that. So in the end, I have to say that my favorite character has also become the one that I most identify with: Draco Malfoy.
  
  Before getting sick, I was so sure that I was capable, that the world would be handed to me on a platter, that I would be the best at whatever I did. And then, out of the blue, life handed me a problem I couldn't solve: facing my own weakness, forcing me to overcome the biggest obstacle I'd ever faced. The only weapons I had were my mind, my pride, and my determination. I am proud to say that I got to the top of that high tower and faced down my own weaknesses: I didn't get rid of them completely, but I dealt with them the best I could, considering the circumstances. Life hasn't been easy since, but I'm determined to redeem myself (in my own eyes, if not in anyone else's).
  
  I realize that most of this is more circumstantial than anything else, but it's still my final answer. XP
  
  
• What would you see if you looked into the Mirror of Erised?
  
  I would see myself, happy and healthy, with a secure and rewarding job and a comfortably elegant house. There would be a significant other in the picture, too, one that somehow met my impossibly high standards for romantic relationships (it's a long story, but suffice it to say that I don't want to settle for a "safe" relationship instead of one that will really make me happy). And there would be at least two dogs, because my entire life is improved (both physical health and emotional health) by having a dog around. No kids, though. I have no problems with marriage, but I have no desire to endure pregnancy and childbirth just to raise a child. I'd also see my family - my little brother, my parents, and my grandparents - as a large part of my life, a solid group of close friends, and a larger circle of acquaintances and colleagues.
  
  
• Do you believe that moral actions should be judged by the intentions behind them, or by the consequences they create?
  
  That's a difficult question to answer. If it's not a moral action that I care particularly about, I judge the consequences and the person that orchestrated them on whether they succeeded or failed in what they set out to accomplish. But then there are some things that are so close to my heart that it really does seem more like right and wrong. Equal rights and preserving the environment are my personal causes, for all that I never go to rallies or protests and don't tend to do much other than exercise my right to vote. And then there's the fact that my friends can do no wrong, so long as they're not doing any harm to themselves, other people that I love, or myself.
  
  So... I suppose I do both. As for what I believe, well, I try not to hold very strong beliefs about what others should or shouldn't do, and judge it on a case by case basis. Otherwise I think I'd end up (even more) disappointed in humanity as a whole.
  
  
• What was your ideal job as a kid? Has that changed? What is your ideal job now?
  
  I don't think my idea of an ideal job has changed much since I was a kid, although the specifics have changed. Then, as now, I wanted a job that I'd be really good at, make money doing, and be recognized for. As a kid, that manifested itself as famous jobs that made use of my skills: pro soccer player, famous singer, famous actress. Now... I don't want fame, I just want respect, autonomy, and enough job security that I'd feel comfortable taking a chance at a new opportunity.
  
  Really, it seems like almost anything I set my mind to that doesn't push my physical abilities too far is available, limited only by whether my qualifications are enough (but if I wanted to expand, I'd get qualified, although as I said, more school is not a very appealing option). It's nice to be versatile, but I feel a little lost when there are too many opportunities, when I haven't set my sights on any of them.
  
  
• 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?
  
  I'm going to go with my original answer on this one: a potion that would grant the drinker perfect health right up until the moment they die, an impeccable immune system of sorts. My health has been the biggest obstacle for me, and if it were possible, I'd love to never have to worry about it ever again. And I'm determined to find a way to improve my health enough to have that for as long as I can, even without magic - but it's going to have to wait until I leave college, because as my AP biology professor once said, "nobody sleeps in college. You can sleep when you're dead." I won't wait that long, but I certainly don't take care of myself in college. Better than some college students (there's a guy in my class right now whose nickname is "Never Sober Sam") but I still do have to put my grades before my health in order to do well, so that I can get a good job with health benefits when I finish school. How circular and ironic is that?
  
  
• 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?
  
  The problem with boggarts is that my worst fears are about things happening within me, to my mind and my health. It would really be much more effective if the boggart could affect me directly and make me feel like I was sick or confused, but I suppose it would have to settle for showing me an image of myself old, wizened, and helpless, with nothing to show for the years that I was healthy. Either that or I'd be young, weak and unhealthy, facing years of sickness with no chance for improvement. I'm really not sure which would be worse.
  
  When I threw the counter-spell... it would become myself, younger, just playing the part of an old lady in a play. And I'd be wearing some kind of hilariously awful, brightly colored costume underneath, something to make me laugh.
  
  
• What do you look for in a friend?
  
  I really value loyalty and trustworthiness in my friends. Not necessarily as a general trait of theirs, but at least relating to me. Actually, people who hand out their loyalty and trust just about anyone disturb me a bit, because it's hard to know whether I matter to them if they treat everyone the same. Being a very nice person disturbs me just as much; it just seems fake. Even the nicest people with the best intentions have their breaking points. I find it easier to know what makes my friends angry so that I can avoid it, and so that I'll know what to expect if I do accidentally incur their wrath. Most of them know the same thing about me if they've been around long enough, and it works for us.
  
  I also appreciate people who don't get offended by my inability to keep in touch if our paths don't cross that often, don't mind that I often need a great deal of time to myself, and don't get offended when I'm not always forthcoming with compliments and gestures of affection.
  
  
• What trait most annoys you about other people?
  
  On a day to day basis, I get annoyed by the stupidity of others, in the decisions that they make, the things that they say, the things they do. But those don't last long; I tend to forget them and move on. The annoyances that really get under my skin are traits in professors/bosses (because I have to answer to them) and romantic others. Traits of mine annoy me, too, but I don't have the same high standards for my friends as I do for myself. However, I expect people with authority over me to know what they're doing, and to do it competently. And in romantic relationships, people who are dependent on me as their significant other for their own confidence and self-worth are really unappealing. In every relationship I've been in so far, I've had to answer the question "you do love me, right?" (or something like it) more than once, and it makes me really unhappy. However, I've finally learned from my mistakes, and I am not going to do that again. Bad bosses, unfortunately, are a little harder to deal with - you can't exactly break up with a boss. XD
  
  
• What do you think are your top five abilities or qualities?
  
  1. I am self-sufficient. If there's anything that I've proved to myself in the past year, it's that I can get through anything on my own, given the right amount of time to gather my resources, courage, and strength.
  2. I have an enormous amount of willpower and determination that I can call upon when necessary. Everyone trips and everyone falls, but I have always managed to pick myself back up and keep going.
  3. I am very creative in problem solving and flexible in my planning. If something goes wrong, it's not the end of the world. I can come up with my own solutions to every problem.
  4. I am loyal. It takes a great deal to earn my loyalty, and it might not always be obvious that you have, but I would do almost anything for my real friends.
  5. I am a perfectionist, almost to a fault. I'm not as competitive as I once was - really, I just prefer to work alone - but I don't like feeling as though I've done anything but my very best. Of course, sometimes I'm so tired or worn out that it's harder to care, but those are bad times for me anyway.
  
  
• What do you think are your top five weaknesses or worst qualities?
  
  1. I am a control freak. I've taken to cleaning my room when things get crazy, just to be able to impose my will on something. I don't feel the need to control everything - I'm actually quite indecisive when it comes to small things like what to have for dinner - but the important things need to be under control, and everything that is mine must be in its place.
  2. I have an awful tendency toward procrastination. If I really don't want to do something immediately, and there isn't enough incentive to do so (a deadline, someone getting upset over it, a grade to be earned, etc) I won't do it immediately. If it's important, though, I will always, always get it done.
  3. I am very cynical. This is the downside of being a perfectionist - I see flaws everywhere, and I often find them impossible to ignore.
  4. I am terrible at flirting or maintaining romantic relationships. High standards + being very guarded about my emotions + hating being dependent on anyone is not a very good combination, yet I keep trying to make it work.
  5. I am impatient. If I want something, I tend to want it immediately. Once I've done all I can and it's out of my hands, waiting for a result drives me nuts.
  
  
• Define in your own words the following key traits:
  
  • Courage: a strength of will that allows you to do the things that are difficult and frightening.
    
  • Loyalty: a privilege of absolute trust, discretion, and support, given only to people you respect, and which should never be taken for granted.
    
  • Intelligence: having the mental stamina and quickness to comprehend new things and acquire knowledge.
    
  • Ambition: setting achievable goals for yourself, and being willing to do what it takes to accomplish them.
    
  
  
• Name: Annalisa
  
• Age: 21
  
• Where did you find out about us? slyfoxesq recruited me originally. :)
  
• Do you plan on being active in the communities once you are sorted? I was active when I was a member before, months and months ago, until my health and school load forced me to drop out. I've finally found myself with some energy and a bit of time on my hands, so I'd like to give it another try. :D