Is that an elder wand in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?
01. Name: Lena
02. How did you find out about Hogwarts Hallows? from thewordmap's journal
03. Why do you want to join this community? I'm a member of hogwartsishome and a former member of Hogwarts Elite. It sounds like this community could be fun, too.
||MIRROR OF ERISED||
04. You are eleven years old and you've just received a Hogwarts letter. How do you react?
Excited! Magic is really cool! I'd be ecstatic to know that not only was it real, but that I could learn how to use it! I'd probably be very much like Hermione reading Hogwarts, A History a million times and learning everything I could before boarding the train.
05. In which wizarding activities or clubs do you think you would be interested?
Ignoring my real life fear of heights, I would definitely want to play Quidditch. I'd also be interested in pretty much every club ever, because I like being involved in things. All of the clubs and things mentioned in the books sound like fun to me - Charms Club, Dueling Club. I'd love to be a part of the Slug Club because I would enjoy the feeling of being one of the "special" ones. I'd probably also end up in the DA if I happened to be in the know. And the chess club! I don't play chess, but wizarding chess is something I would definitely want to learn to play.
06. What makes a person deserving of your respect?
Intelligence, first and foremost. They don't have to be a genius, but I detest people who don't have the desire to learn or to better themselves. Independence would be a big factor, too, I think. I don't like super clingy people in general (my best friend is an exception to this, because I like that she loves me enough to be jealous). I don't like people who don't have a desire to do for themselves, to at least try. I don't understand anyone who wants someone to do everything for them. Maybe it's because I'm such an independent and self-sufficient person myself. I loathe asking others for help, so I have trouble respecting someone who is constantly asking or expecting others to do everything in life for them.
07. What is your boggart, and what would you do to make it ridiculous?
This is going to sound really lame, but it would be my cat Narcissa either seriously hurt or dead. For one, she's is pretty much my constant companion. More to the point, though, when I was living in Los Angeles, my roommate had two cats that died during the time we lived together and that experience is something I have never been able to get out of my head. I've lost pets before, but those instances are the first time I can remember actually seeing a pet dead (and I adored them even though they were technically hers). Imagining something like that happening to my own cat freaks me out. I've actually had nightmares about it and for several weeks or months after the last one passed, I'd wake up and immediately have to check to make sure it was only a dream and that she was okay. It really doesn't help that she's part ragdoll and often goes completely limp while she sleeps. My cat "plays dead" far too well.
As for the counter charm, I don't think I'd be able to pull it off. If I did, she'd jump up and start chasing after invisible bugs, because that never fails to crack me up.
08. What would you see in the Mirror of Erised?
I'd see myself surrounded by money. Maybe not an endless supply or even a large fortune, but enough that I could both pay my living expenses and have enough left over for the things I want. A nicer television, a iMac, an iPad, more games for my PS3, a nice place of my own to live, a new wardrobe. No one likes to admit to being materialistic, but I often find myself wishing I could afford all the things I want instead of having to scrape by and just get the things I need most of the time. Granted, the things that I want include travel to places likes Europe, Australia and all the other places I'd love to visit, but can't afford to, not to mention all the cool electronic toys I desperately want, but can't afford. They say money can't buy happiness, but I think whoever says that just doesn't know where to shop.
09. Which element (fire, earth, air, water) do you think best represents you?
Water. I've always loved the water. When I was a little girl, my grandfather would take me fishing and I loved watching the water. I loved seeing the pre-dawn light reflected off of the lake. I loved the sense of peace that washed over me as I took in that sight and the smells that accompanied it. As I grew older and traveled away from home, that love of water grew to encompass the ocean. I don't necessarily like getting wet or swimming in the ocean, but I love the sound of the waves. I could sit on the beach for hours and just watch the tide.
10. What do you think are your top five positive characteristics?
01. I'm intelligent. Not to sound egotistical, but I'm pretty smart, both in terms of common sense and book-smarts. If I don't already know something, I generally know where to find the answer, so people tend to come to me a lot with their questions.
02. I'm brave?. I don't know how much I agree with this, but I've been told by other people that it applies. In context, I was told this due to my tendency to just pack up and move, sometimes without having a job or a permanent place to live. It didn't feel brave at the time - it was just what I needed to do - but I suppose I can see how it might be seen as such.
03. I'm confident. Despite having my own set of insecurities, I'm pretty confident. I'm well aware of the things I do well and I generally know how to play up those strengths. I give off the impression of knowing what I'm doing/talking about, which I'm told can sometimes make me come off as condescending to those who are less confident/secure. I don't think I'm perfect, but I do think I'm pretty awesome.
04. I'm artistic/creative. Okay, so I can't draw to save my life, but I'm pretty good with Photoshop. I've been known to make some awesome graphics from time to time and I like to think I also have a good eye for what's good and what's not. It's turned me into a bit of a graphics/icon snob, but that's entirely beside the point.
05. I'm a good friend. I don't make friends easily - I'm a definite introvert with anti-social tendencies to boot - but I like to think that I'm a good friend to those few I do allow myself to get close to. I'll listen to their problems, re-arrange my schedule to lend them a hand, go out of my way to make them smile when they're having the same day. The number of people who get this level of attention is very small, but I like to think that I treat those who have earned my friendship pretty well.
11. What do you think are your top five negative characteristics?
01. I'm hypocritical. Do as I say and not as I do people. Don't lie to me, cause it'll piss me off, but it's okay for me to lie to you. Don't talk about me behind my back, but I'm exempt from that rule when I'm talking to my BFF. The rules don't apply to us, okay?
02. I'm antisocial. I am really not a people person. Maybe it's because I deal with retards people all day at work, but I enjoy spending time by myself. I have to force myself to go out and have a social life, because I'd much rather just cuddle my kitty and play on the computer than hang out with other people most of the time.
03. I'm impatient. I don't like waiting for things. When I want something, I want it now and I turn into a whiny bitch when I'm mad to wait for them.
04. I'm lazy. While I will work when I have to or for the things I really want, I'm not a fan of hard work for the sake of hard work and I will always take the easy way when there is one.
05. I'm anal/a little OCD. I have to have things just so. I like justified text, because it lines up just so. I'll spend hours tweaking a layout until it's perfect. The smallest blemish on my Macbook or iPhone will drive me crazy.
I could keep going here... I'm manipulative, egocentric, selfish, spoiled, stubborn, self-deprecating, easily annoyed, downright bitchy when I'm pissed off, moody.. Listing my negatives is a lot easier than listing my positives.
12. If you could get rid of one of your personality traits and pick a trait you don't consider yourself to have instead, what would you get rid of and what new one would you pick? Why?
I would be less antisocial and more social instead. Maybe it would be more accurate to say that I would be less socially awkward, actually. I tend to be quiet and awkward around people I don't know very well and I don't like that. I don't see myself as someone who is very well-liked by others and although I don't generally care what people think, I often wish that I felt like the sort of person people liked and wanted to be around.
13. If you were a wizard in the Harry Potter world, what would your post-Hogwarts game plan be?
I'd want to work at the Ministry, possibly in the Unspeakables office. There would be something that is just cool about knowing things no one else knew.
||IN ESSENCE UNITED||
14. What do the Harry Potter books mean to you?
I love the books for the world they've created. There are so many things to speculate on and explore. Even now after the series has ended, there's so much to speculate on, so much left unsaid. I love the massive fandom that has come out of the series. Communities like this one, roleplaying, etc. I enjoyed reading the books and I could read them over and over and never tire of them, but I love everything in fandom that has come out of them, too.
15. Who is your favourite character in the Harry Potter series?
It's so not fair to ask me to pick just one. I'm just saying.
Hermione would probably have to be my choice. I loved watching her grow and change throughout the series. In the beginning, we are presented with a bossy little know-it-all who most people would find it difficult to like. As she befriended the boys, though, we saw that there was more to her. Over the course of the series, we discover that she's ambitious, determined, stubborn, passionate, resourceful. I love Hermione for all of the reasons she ended up in Gryffindor instead of Ravenclaw. Love of learning or not, the girl is pure heart.
16. Who is your least favourite character in the series? Do not pick Umbridge. She was written to be hated.
This is probably going to be an unpopular answer, but Draco Malfoy. It's not because he's a bully or because he was Harry's enemy from almost the beginning. To me, Draco just never had much dimension. To be honest, I never even really saw why he was in Slytherin, aside from his lineage. I saw very little evidence of cunning or charm or even ambition in him. There was so much potential after Half Blood Prince to show us more of Draco, to give us a reason to sympathize with him and see him as something more, but I never really saw it. There are other characters I disliked in the series, but I actually cared what happened to them (even if it was an intense desire to see them suffer). With Draco, I never really cared about his fate.
17. If you could trade lives with one HP character for a day, who would it be?
Ginny Weasley. She's popular, she's fun, she casts a mean bat bogey hex. I think it would be a lot of fun to be her for a day especially if I was at Hogwarts and not at the Burrow having to share a bathroom with 9 other people.
18. You have to pick four subjects to study for your NEWTs. What are they?
Potions. I love the idea of mixing things together to get something else. It's kind of like chemistry, right?
Charms. From what the books have shown us, most of the really useful spells are charms.
Defense. Being able to defend myself and well would just be practical.
Transfiguration. How cool would being an animagus be? Studying Transfiguration would obviously be a requirement to work that out.
19. Who are your favourite and least favourite Hogwarts professors? Why?
Most Favorite - Lupin. As a DADA professor, he was exciting and engaging. From what we saw in the books, he gave the most hands-on lessons. The other students in the school seemed to look forward to his lessons and I think that's because he really engaged them and made them want to learn the material. That's something I would really enjoy in a teacher.
Least Favorite - Snape. While we are given a solid reason for it, he has an unfair bias towards students based on their house and I think that makes it difficult for anyone who isn't on the good side of that bias to really learn anything in his lessons. A good teacher, I think, should be kind, encouraging, fair and able to drive their students to learn - not make them dread setting foot in the classroom.
20. Each Hogwarts founder owned a prized possession. Imagine that these possessions were symbolic of these founders’ values. Explain how these objects might exemplify the traits of their owner’s house.
• Godric Gryffindor’s Sword: Part of being brave and chivalrous means defending others. A sword would be instrumental in doing so.
• Salazar Slytherin’s Locket: While it isn't explicitly stated in canon, I see Slytherins as being materialistic/valuing possessions. I think Slytherin's intricate locked exemplifies this.
• Rowena Ravenclaw’s Diadem: This is a little trickier. Diadems are a symbol of power and royalty. However, the Ravenclaw mindset says that knowledge is power and the diadem could represent that feeling. The inscription on the diadem is also telling - Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure. It is said to bestow wisdom when worn.
• Helga Hufflepuff’s Cup: This may not be entirely accurate, but I can see Hufflepuffs as loves of food and drinks. I see them as one of the more social houses and I think the cup represents that in a sense. Helga was also particularly gifted with food-related magic, which I believe if why he item was a cup.
21. Describe the canon house qualities that you feel accurately reflect you. Please try to include traits from each of the four houses.
• Gryffindor: Chivalry. I have a very strong sense of right and wrong. I can be pretty judgmental when I see someone acting in a way I consider wrong. To me, being right is much more important than being just. It's also been said that I have Gryffindor courage in me. It's not unusual for me to just pack up and move without knowing what I'll do once I get there. It doesn't feel like courage to me, though. I just see what I need to do and I do it.
• Slytherin: Cunning. I don't wear my heart on my sleeve, I don't come right out and tell people what I want or who I am. I can be very manipulative. I'm good at finding things out merely by saying and doing the right things around the right people.
• Ravenclaw: Curiosity. They say curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought him back. I'm that annoying once asking all the questions until I understand the hows and whys of things. I don't like not knowing things. Part of this is not wanting to seem stupid or incompetent, but more than that, I like being seen as an intelligent person.
• Hufflepuff: Loyalty, I suppose, would be the best choice here. It's not easy to earn the title, but once I consider you a true friend, there is very little I wouldn't do for you.
22. Which house do you feel the least affinity towards?
Hufflepuff. I do have what could be interpreted as traits of the badgers, but I don't think they manifest in a way I would associate with Puffs. I can be loyal, but that loyalty is reserved for a select few. I can be a hard worker, but only as a means to an end - to earn a promotion at work, to get more money, to otherwise get something that I really want. Hard work in general isn't something I'm fond of. I'd rather get as much as I can with as little work as possible.
||HOGWARTS EXPRESS||
23. Age:37
02. How did you find out about Hogwarts Hallows? from thewordmap's journal
03. Why do you want to join this community? I'm a member of hogwartsishome and a former member of Hogwarts Elite. It sounds like this community could be fun, too.
||MIRROR OF ERISED||
04. You are eleven years old and you've just received a Hogwarts letter. How do you react?
Excited! Magic is really cool! I'd be ecstatic to know that not only was it real, but that I could learn how to use it! I'd probably be very much like Hermione reading Hogwarts, A History a million times and learning everything I could before boarding the train.
05. In which wizarding activities or clubs do you think you would be interested?
Ignoring my real life fear of heights, I would definitely want to play Quidditch. I'd also be interested in pretty much every club ever, because I like being involved in things. All of the clubs and things mentioned in the books sound like fun to me - Charms Club, Dueling Club. I'd love to be a part of the Slug Club because I would enjoy the feeling of being one of the "special" ones. I'd probably also end up in the DA if I happened to be in the know. And the chess club! I don't play chess, but wizarding chess is something I would definitely want to learn to play.
06. What makes a person deserving of your respect?
Intelligence, first and foremost. They don't have to be a genius, but I detest people who don't have the desire to learn or to better themselves. Independence would be a big factor, too, I think. I don't like super clingy people in general (my best friend is an exception to this, because I like that she loves me enough to be jealous). I don't like people who don't have a desire to do for themselves, to at least try. I don't understand anyone who wants someone to do everything for them. Maybe it's because I'm such an independent and self-sufficient person myself. I loathe asking others for help, so I have trouble respecting someone who is constantly asking or expecting others to do everything in life for them.
07. What is your boggart, and what would you do to make it ridiculous?
This is going to sound really lame, but it would be my cat Narcissa either seriously hurt or dead. For one, she's is pretty much my constant companion. More to the point, though, when I was living in Los Angeles, my roommate had two cats that died during the time we lived together and that experience is something I have never been able to get out of my head. I've lost pets before, but those instances are the first time I can remember actually seeing a pet dead (and I adored them even though they were technically hers). Imagining something like that happening to my own cat freaks me out. I've actually had nightmares about it and for several weeks or months after the last one passed, I'd wake up and immediately have to check to make sure it was only a dream and that she was okay. It really doesn't help that she's part ragdoll and often goes completely limp while she sleeps. My cat "plays dead" far too well.
As for the counter charm, I don't think I'd be able to pull it off. If I did, she'd jump up and start chasing after invisible bugs, because that never fails to crack me up.
08. What would you see in the Mirror of Erised?
I'd see myself surrounded by money. Maybe not an endless supply or even a large fortune, but enough that I could both pay my living expenses and have enough left over for the things I want. A nicer television, a iMac, an iPad, more games for my PS3, a nice place of my own to live, a new wardrobe. No one likes to admit to being materialistic, but I often find myself wishing I could afford all the things I want instead of having to scrape by and just get the things I need most of the time. Granted, the things that I want include travel to places likes Europe, Australia and all the other places I'd love to visit, but can't afford to, not to mention all the cool electronic toys I desperately want, but can't afford. They say money can't buy happiness, but I think whoever says that just doesn't know where to shop.
09. Which element (fire, earth, air, water) do you think best represents you?
Water. I've always loved the water. When I was a little girl, my grandfather would take me fishing and I loved watching the water. I loved seeing the pre-dawn light reflected off of the lake. I loved the sense of peace that washed over me as I took in that sight and the smells that accompanied it. As I grew older and traveled away from home, that love of water grew to encompass the ocean. I don't necessarily like getting wet or swimming in the ocean, but I love the sound of the waves. I could sit on the beach for hours and just watch the tide.
10. What do you think are your top five positive characteristics?
01. I'm intelligent. Not to sound egotistical, but I'm pretty smart, both in terms of common sense and book-smarts. If I don't already know something, I generally know where to find the answer, so people tend to come to me a lot with their questions.
02. I'm brave?. I don't know how much I agree with this, but I've been told by other people that it applies. In context, I was told this due to my tendency to just pack up and move, sometimes without having a job or a permanent place to live. It didn't feel brave at the time - it was just what I needed to do - but I suppose I can see how it might be seen as such.
03. I'm confident. Despite having my own set of insecurities, I'm pretty confident. I'm well aware of the things I do well and I generally know how to play up those strengths. I give off the impression of knowing what I'm doing/talking about, which I'm told can sometimes make me come off as condescending to those who are less confident/secure. I don't think I'm perfect, but I do think I'm pretty awesome.
04. I'm artistic/creative. Okay, so I can't draw to save my life, but I'm pretty good with Photoshop. I've been known to make some awesome graphics from time to time and I like to think I also have a good eye for what's good and what's not. It's turned me into a bit of a graphics/icon snob, but that's entirely beside the point.
05. I'm a good friend. I don't make friends easily - I'm a definite introvert with anti-social tendencies to boot - but I like to think that I'm a good friend to those few I do allow myself to get close to. I'll listen to their problems, re-arrange my schedule to lend them a hand, go out of my way to make them smile when they're having the same day. The number of people who get this level of attention is very small, but I like to think that I treat those who have earned my friendship pretty well.
11. What do you think are your top five negative characteristics?
01. I'm hypocritical. Do as I say and not as I do people. Don't lie to me, cause it'll piss me off, but it's okay for me to lie to you. Don't talk about me behind my back, but I'm exempt from that rule when I'm talking to my BFF. The rules don't apply to us, okay?
02. I'm antisocial. I am really not a people person. Maybe it's because I deal with retards people all day at work, but I enjoy spending time by myself. I have to force myself to go out and have a social life, because I'd much rather just cuddle my kitty and play on the computer than hang out with other people most of the time.
03. I'm impatient. I don't like waiting for things. When I want something, I want it now and I turn into a whiny bitch when I'm mad to wait for them.
04. I'm lazy. While I will work when I have to or for the things I really want, I'm not a fan of hard work for the sake of hard work and I will always take the easy way when there is one.
05. I'm anal/a little OCD. I have to have things just so. I like justified text, because it lines up just so. I'll spend hours tweaking a layout until it's perfect. The smallest blemish on my Macbook or iPhone will drive me crazy.
I could keep going here... I'm manipulative, egocentric, selfish, spoiled, stubborn, self-deprecating, easily annoyed, downright bitchy when I'm pissed off, moody.. Listing my negatives is a lot easier than listing my positives.
12. If you could get rid of one of your personality traits and pick a trait you don't consider yourself to have instead, what would you get rid of and what new one would you pick? Why?
I would be less antisocial and more social instead. Maybe it would be more accurate to say that I would be less socially awkward, actually. I tend to be quiet and awkward around people I don't know very well and I don't like that. I don't see myself as someone who is very well-liked by others and although I don't generally care what people think, I often wish that I felt like the sort of person people liked and wanted to be around.
13. If you were a wizard in the Harry Potter world, what would your post-Hogwarts game plan be?
I'd want to work at the Ministry, possibly in the Unspeakables office. There would be something that is just cool about knowing things no one else knew.
||IN ESSENCE UNITED||
14. What do the Harry Potter books mean to you?
I love the books for the world they've created. There are so many things to speculate on and explore. Even now after the series has ended, there's so much to speculate on, so much left unsaid. I love the massive fandom that has come out of the series. Communities like this one, roleplaying, etc. I enjoyed reading the books and I could read them over and over and never tire of them, but I love everything in fandom that has come out of them, too.
15. Who is your favourite character in the Harry Potter series?
It's so not fair to ask me to pick just one. I'm just saying.
Hermione would probably have to be my choice. I loved watching her grow and change throughout the series. In the beginning, we are presented with a bossy little know-it-all who most people would find it difficult to like. As she befriended the boys, though, we saw that there was more to her. Over the course of the series, we discover that she's ambitious, determined, stubborn, passionate, resourceful. I love Hermione for all of the reasons she ended up in Gryffindor instead of Ravenclaw. Love of learning or not, the girl is pure heart.
16. Who is your least favourite character in the series? Do not pick Umbridge. She was written to be hated.
This is probably going to be an unpopular answer, but Draco Malfoy. It's not because he's a bully or because he was Harry's enemy from almost the beginning. To me, Draco just never had much dimension. To be honest, I never even really saw why he was in Slytherin, aside from his lineage. I saw very little evidence of cunning or charm or even ambition in him. There was so much potential after Half Blood Prince to show us more of Draco, to give us a reason to sympathize with him and see him as something more, but I never really saw it. There are other characters I disliked in the series, but I actually cared what happened to them (even if it was an intense desire to see them suffer). With Draco, I never really cared about his fate.
17. If you could trade lives with one HP character for a day, who would it be?
Ginny Weasley. She's popular, she's fun, she casts a mean bat bogey hex. I think it would be a lot of fun to be her for a day especially if I was at Hogwarts and not at the Burrow having to share a bathroom with 9 other people.
18. You have to pick four subjects to study for your NEWTs. What are they?
Potions. I love the idea of mixing things together to get something else. It's kind of like chemistry, right?
Charms. From what the books have shown us, most of the really useful spells are charms.
Defense. Being able to defend myself and well would just be practical.
Transfiguration. How cool would being an animagus be? Studying Transfiguration would obviously be a requirement to work that out.
19. Who are your favourite and least favourite Hogwarts professors? Why?
Most Favorite - Lupin. As a DADA professor, he was exciting and engaging. From what we saw in the books, he gave the most hands-on lessons. The other students in the school seemed to look forward to his lessons and I think that's because he really engaged them and made them want to learn the material. That's something I would really enjoy in a teacher.
Least Favorite - Snape. While we are given a solid reason for it, he has an unfair bias towards students based on their house and I think that makes it difficult for anyone who isn't on the good side of that bias to really learn anything in his lessons. A good teacher, I think, should be kind, encouraging, fair and able to drive their students to learn - not make them dread setting foot in the classroom.
20. Each Hogwarts founder owned a prized possession. Imagine that these possessions were symbolic of these founders’ values. Explain how these objects might exemplify the traits of their owner’s house.
• Godric Gryffindor’s Sword: Part of being brave and chivalrous means defending others. A sword would be instrumental in doing so.
• Salazar Slytherin’s Locket: While it isn't explicitly stated in canon, I see Slytherins as being materialistic/valuing possessions. I think Slytherin's intricate locked exemplifies this.
• Rowena Ravenclaw’s Diadem: This is a little trickier. Diadems are a symbol of power and royalty. However, the Ravenclaw mindset says that knowledge is power and the diadem could represent that feeling. The inscription on the diadem is also telling - Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure. It is said to bestow wisdom when worn.
• Helga Hufflepuff’s Cup: This may not be entirely accurate, but I can see Hufflepuffs as loves of food and drinks. I see them as one of the more social houses and I think the cup represents that in a sense. Helga was also particularly gifted with food-related magic, which I believe if why he item was a cup.
21. Describe the canon house qualities that you feel accurately reflect you. Please try to include traits from each of the four houses.
• Gryffindor: Chivalry. I have a very strong sense of right and wrong. I can be pretty judgmental when I see someone acting in a way I consider wrong. To me, being right is much more important than being just. It's also been said that I have Gryffindor courage in me. It's not unusual for me to just pack up and move without knowing what I'll do once I get there. It doesn't feel like courage to me, though. I just see what I need to do and I do it.
• Slytherin: Cunning. I don't wear my heart on my sleeve, I don't come right out and tell people what I want or who I am. I can be very manipulative. I'm good at finding things out merely by saying and doing the right things around the right people.
• Ravenclaw: Curiosity. They say curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought him back. I'm that annoying once asking all the questions until I understand the hows and whys of things. I don't like not knowing things. Part of this is not wanting to seem stupid or incompetent, but more than that, I like being seen as an intelligent person.
• Hufflepuff: Loyalty, I suppose, would be the best choice here. It's not easy to earn the title, but once I consider you a true friend, there is very little I wouldn't do for you.
22. Which house do you feel the least affinity towards?
Hufflepuff. I do have what could be interpreted as traits of the badgers, but I don't think they manifest in a way I would associate with Puffs. I can be loyal, but that loyalty is reserved for a select few. I can be a hard worker, but only as a means to an end - to earn a promotion at work, to get more money, to otherwise get something that I really want. Hard work in general isn't something I'm fond of. I'd rather get as much as I can with as little work as possible.
||HOGWARTS EXPRESS||
23. Age:37