Mithborien - Harry Potter Ramblings...

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25 March 2005 @ 10:34 pm

Harry Potter Ramblings...

Contained therein:

- a survey
- and much rambling upon the subject of Harry Potter

Read at your own risk!

*A Random Harry Potter Survey!*
Name	Megan
Age	17
Birthday	29th November
Age when you first read Harry Potter	15? Can't really remember.
Favorite Book	I like parts from all of them but either POA or OOTP.
Favorite Character(s)	Harry, Sirius, Remus, Tonks for some reason. Bellatrix and Draco just for their evilness. And Voldemort intrigues me. In fact I like alot of characters for many reasons but those are my main ones.
Favorite Proffesor(s)	Lupin, McGonagall and Hagrid
Favorite House	Gryffindor but Slytherin just cause of their snarky attitude
Favorite Quidditch Team	Let's say the Harpies
Favorite Couple	Remus/Sirius (shut up, it is so canon!)
Favorite Magical Animal	Dragons
Favorite Magical Place	Diagon Alley and the Room of Requirement would be fun
Favorite Weasley	Fred and George and probably Charlie and Bill if we get to know them more
Favorite Pet	Crookshanks
Favorite Order Member	Remus, Sirius and Tonks ie. the ones from favourite characters
Favorite Class	DADA
Favorite Wizarding Snack	Chocolate Frogs
Favorite Gryffindor Student	Harry
Draco or Harry?	Both. Harry cause he's the lone struggler and Draco cause he is a snarky idiot.
H/Hr or R/Hr?	R/Hr
Snape or Lupin?	Lupin
Crookshanks or Scabbers?	Crookshanks
Hedwig or Pig?	Hedwig
Harry or Ron?	Harry
Crabbe or Goyle?	Goyle
Canon/Fanon Draco?	Well it depends on which fanon Draco doesn't it
Canon/Fanon Snape?	ditto
D/Hr or D/G?	Not really decided on this one, maybe slightly more D/G
H/D or H/SS?	H/D
Your OTP?	Remus and Sirius :D
Favorite Slytherin	Draco
Cho - annoying or not?	Slightly
*Fanfiction*
Do you write Fanfiction?	Yes
Do you read Fanfition?	Oh yes
Favorite Fanfiction?	Well written?
Canon or Fanon?	Canon normally but if its a good justified fanon then that is also good
One shot or Novel length?	Depends on the fic
Fluff or Angst?	Angst
Darkfic?	Hell yeah
Very Powerful Harry?	Yes but he should be flawed aswell
Very Sexy Draco?	Maybe
Gen, Het, or Slash?	All three, depends on the fic dammit
Fanfiction Petpeeves?	Really fannish fics that have ansolutely no justification
*Books*
Did you Cry when Cedric Died?	No
Did you cry when Sirius Died?	Yes, not that he actually died of course
All time favorite part	Too many, far too many
Were you mad about the whole H/C mistake?	Er, H/C mistake?
Do you like Viktor Krum?	Sure, why not
Do you like Cho Chang?	Meh
Do you like Fluer?	Meh again
Do you like Cedric?	He's okay
What did you think of the Prophecy?	There's more too it.
Which characters need more development?	Remus, Tonks, students
Did Harry pass his O.W.Ls in Potions?	Maybe
Will Harry die or survive at the end of book 7?	He will survive but not unharmed
Do you like the Marauders?	Oh my god YES!
Light side or dark side?	Depends on my mood
Who do you think is the HBP?	Remus maybe? (Okay, I went with the answer di_br gave) don't think it will be a new characters though. Who else is a half blood? Tonks? Wait she can't be a prince can she...
Who do you think will die in HBP?	Well, apparently Dumbledore will. I'm rooting for Peter. Although the odds are against the Weasley's.
Who do you think Harry's new "love interest" is in HBP?	Ginny or Luna
What do you think will be the "something huge" revealed about Lily Potter?	There is something huge to be revealed? She's the half-blood prince!
Are you a Luna fan?	Sure.
Favorite Marauder?	All oif them except Peter and I don't like Peter simply because he betrayed his best friends although I still want to know his reason behind that
Is Harry going to be back on the quidditch team?	Of course
How well do you think Harry will cope with Sirius's death in HBP?	Badly most likely
Do you think Harry will be even more angry in HBP than in OotP?	Oh yeah, he has to deal with Sirius's death, the Prophecy, he will have problems
Will Ron or Hermione die in either of the next 2 books?	Probably not
How do you think Ron and Hermione will react when they find out about the prophecy?	Supportive yet worried, as always
*Harry Potter Movies*
Do you like the movies as much as the books?	Books are better story wise but I like the movies simply because of the visual aspect. Because they are movies there are bound to be inconsistancies with the books so for what they are worth I still like the movies.
Hottest HP actor?	They are all pretty hot. Siriusly.
Do you think Emma Watson is too girly for Hermione?	Not the actual actress but I think costume and makeup made her too girly
What do you think of Ruperts long hair in GoF?	*melts*
Daniel Radcliffe or Rupert Grint?	Both
Chris Columbus or Alfonso?	I like both, they had different movies to make so I can't really compare them
Was the warewolf too bald?	Slightly. He also looked to Gollum like for my tastes
What scene did they leave out in the movie you wish they hadn't?	Explaining the Marauders
Favorite movie moment?	Many, I'll be here all day
Least favorite movie moment?	End of COS, all the clapping was just stupid
Favorite character in movie?	Remus and Sirius again, well duh, and I like the movie Draco as well
Favorite Movie?	POA
Was that how you imagined the basalisk?	Kinda
Do you wish Richard Harris could still play Dumbledore?	For consistency yeah, but Gambon is still good
Do you think Snape is sexy?	No, but the actor can be
Do you wish you looked like Emma Watson?	Not really
And for the lst question, how has Harry Potter changed your life?	Another obsession that I enjoy
CREATE YOUR OWN! - or - GET PAID TO TAKE SURVEYS!

And the point of all that was? I dunno, for some reason I have been thinking about why I like Harry Potter lately. And I think that it has to be the characters. There are so many of them, each with their own flaws and strengths and individualties that I just like how they all interact with each other and then I got to thinking about the books and the movies and yadda yadda yadda so I figured I should write it all down because really it's not that I have anything more important to do *coughartworkcleanroomcough*

So presenting:

Mithborien's Long Winded and Much Rambling Upon Harry Potter and her Thought Therein That Could Have Ended Up being an Essay but in Reality her Mind is much Too Jumbled For That. Forgive Me.

(The following are my own opinions and are in no way meant to bash anyone else's opinions. If they conflict with your opinions then tough. I am fully within my right to express them just as you have your right to express yours. If you want to argue with me about them then feel free, I would welcome an intelligent conversation about HP)

Firstly, as I stated before the reason I like the books is because of the characters. They are so varied and interesting that you just get sucked into their world. While the Harry Potter books are in fact children books the reason I couldn't stop reading them (and the reason why I read Prisoner of Azkaban in a day) is because I get so involved in them and I think that it's because of the characters. I keep reading because I want to see how so and so reacts and what so and so will do now.

Of course, the books also appeal to me because they are the fantasy genre and fantasy is like crack to me. I love the different settings and items and of course magic in the HP universe. For me JKR has created this fantastic world of imagination and fun and danger and angst and it is just so intriguing and complicated that it's brilliant. Never mind the simple writing style of the books. You have to keep in mind that they originally were children's books but they have evolved past that point as the original target audience grows up. A more complicated writing style, I believe would complicate the books unnecessarily. Aside from that there are also so many hidden symbols within the books whether they be intentional or not that the books become so intricate and interesting for adults.

But it's the characters, I believe that make the universe. There are so many minor characters with different histories and motives that make everything so interesting because there is so much to consider. And I think it's about this point that I stopped making sense. Never mind, I will start talking about characters.

Harry. Harry James Potter. The hero. The reason I like him is not so much the fact that he is supposed to be the hero and therefore constructed to be like but rather the fact that at such a young age he was forced through so much yet has emerged relatively unscathed. That is why I am desperately waiting for the HBP because Harry now has to deal with Sirius's death, what the Prophecy entails for his future and those are some pretty major issues. At some point, he has to crack, no kid could go through all that without some pretty heavy problems resulting. And this may sound slightly morbid but I want to see him break down, I want to see him act human and how he is going to react to everything. Also Harry is supposed to be able to defeat the darkest wizard of all time, at least that is what the Prophecy says and in POA we saw him blow up his aunt by accident, without a wand but nevertheless that was some pretty heavy magic. He has power, alot of it and I want to see him when that power is fully unleashed. I also like him because he does make mistakes so he is not always the smart, do-gooder hero, he's just a boy who is sometimes called The-Boy-Who-Lived.

Now I know many people either hate Ron or hate Hermione but honestly I don't mind either of them. I love Ron's inane comments and Hermione's know-it-all attitude. But the fact is that apart from a couple of bad situations they are really good friends to Harry who balance each other out. I also love their interactions with each other which brings me to ship #1. To me Ron and Hermione are so canon, the evidence is right there in the books and is so obvious that it can't be ignored. I just like them together.

As for other students? Well, I think Neville is going to have a larger part in the next books. He is after all, the other kid that could have been Prophecised about. Because when you think about it, Harry Potter became the Boy-Who-Lived because Voldemort picked him and Voldemort could have easily picked Neville. So the question remains did Voldemort pick Harry out of luck or was it fate? But if it was luck does that mean that Neville has the same power or could have had the same power as Harry does? Yeah, I know, I think too much. And I also have a soft spot for the dorky ones.

I also think Luna will come into play in the next book aswell. She is such an intriguing character and there is definately something between her and Harry. At the end of OOTP she said something to Harry about how we will see the ones we love again or something before the end of term feast. For some reason I can see Luna having the ability of Seers which might help unravelling the Prophecy. Also I can see her being like Harry as well, alone and perceived as different. So there we have ship #2 but that is just a vague thought

Now the Weasley's. We all know someone is bound to die in the next book, the war is just about to begin, there has to be some casualties. I think one of the Weasley's will die simply because well the odds are against them simply because there are so many. I don't know why but I can see either Percy, one of the twins or Molly or Arthur dying. I really have no idea as to what Percy is playing at. Whether he has crossed to the Dark side or is working a secret mission for Dumbledore or is simply being ignorant. But to me Percy had always come across as being smart and while he may not agree with his parents I can't imagine him ignoring evidence that pointe to Voldemort's return. He must have been old enough to remember when Voldemort was in power last time and surely he wouldn't want that to happen again. And while I absolutely love the twins, they are funny and gorgeous and they say the most brilliant things (though their dress sense is deplorable) I also belive there is the probabilty that one of them are destined to die. We know they want to become more involved in the Order and therefore would be put in more danger. Then there is Molly and Arthur and thinking one of them may die simply resulted from imaging the hardship the Weasley's would go through if they lost a parent (yes, I know, that's morbid, I've said it before). Bill and Charlie, well, I don't think we have seen enough of them for one to die. I mean, for a character's death to have the greatest impact you need to be able to identify with them and I don't think we know enough about them. Although from what we have seen of them so far I am extrememly looking forward to seeing more of them. Now for Ginny, one of my dearest friends says she absolutely despises Ginny but for me. I don't mind her. I actually do like her. Some people say her character was largely ignored then suddenly explained but I didn't see that in the books. She has that kind of quiet determination that I can see her fighting to the end as well. Also I am not opposed to the Harry/Ginny ship but now I like the Harry/Luna better.

Er, how about the teachers? Dumbledore... is confusing. I think he has made a lot of mistakes in the books but I think he is also the only person holding everything together. Everyone says that he is the one person Voldemort is afraid of and if he dies then everyone os going to be screwed. However, now I have been convinced that there is a good chance that Dumbledore will die before the end of book seven. Harry has to fight the final battle against Voldemort alone and I don't think he will be able to do that if he knows Dumbledore will be there to back him up. I think Snape, for some perverse reason will survive everything. Which is weird because I don't particularly like Snape. I think he has had a hard life but he is being a bastard at the moment. But Snape is snarky and I like that. I also have this image of the Dark Mark being taken from his skin for some reason. McGonagall is also someone I can see survicing. She survived the Marauders, she can survive the war. I also like her no nonsense attitude.

Now, onto the Marauders :)

The Marauders are some of my most favourite characters but I think that is largely due to fanfiction rather than the books. Nevertheless, I love Sirius Black because of his wild attitude to life. This is the man who became an unregistered Animagus, was the first to escape Azkaban and just has that fuck y'all attitude. His life story is also pretty heart breaking. His family probably hated him, thrown into Azkaban at 22(?) for apparently killing his best friends, escaped but still thought of as a mass murderer and then he died when he had nothing. Never had the chance to properly be a Godfather, never got to tell the world they were wrong about it. It was just so unfair that he had to die. And again, this is largely due to fanfiction but I just like Sirius Black because of the way he acts, whether it be canon or not but all the characterisations I have read of him portray him as the mischief making, sarcastic but loyal, grinning idiot. I just like Padfoot. Full stop.

Same goes for James. And again because of fanfiction I have this image in my head of him as this misguided idiotic guy with a good heart that is just so goofy that who have to love him. Keep in mind that Lily, who once hated him ended up marrying him so there has to be a good part of him. Although don't think I am avoiding the fact that both him and Sirius acted like jackasses and probably bullied the masses mercilessly but I like to think they grew out of that.

Now Peter is a conundrum. On one hand I hate him because he betrayed James and Lily but on the other hand I am wondering why he did what he did. What drove him to some lengths. I haven't read many fics with a good characterisation of Peter but in my own opinion I think that there has to be something that drove him to Voldemort rather than him being approached by the Dark side and submitting out of fear. He had three friends who were strong wizards, surely he would have realised they would protect him so what made him turn traitor?

And lastly Remus. Remus John Lupin. I like Lupin because he is a really interesting character. One one hand he is this mild mannered person who likes books and a weird sense of humour. On the other hand he is a werewolf and would be shunned by the majority of both the muggle and wizarding population. I also like the idea of him having a really good control over his body and emotions that comes from having himself unleashed once a month. I think this is also why we don't know all that much about his personal life and that's why I would really like to know more about him. I want to know what happened during those 12 years Sirius was in Azkaban and Remus thought his only friends were either dead or a murderer. That would have been devasting and also consider the fact that he now has to go through the full moons alone rather than having his friends to take the edge off. I am surprised he didn't rip himself apart. But yeah, I like Remus as well. He's an enigma but he's one that I like.

Er, who else? Ahh, Tonks is also someone that I like that I have heard people say they hate. To me she is a fun new character that bridges the gap between children and the older adults. She's intriguing because next to nothing is known of her personal life. She grew up as a half blood and a metamorphmagus during the war so that probably made her a target of the Dark side. Also I am wondering why we haven't heard anything about her parents at this point. According to Tonks they are still alive but I wonder whether they were told about Sirius being innocent, given that he and Andromeda are cousins and if Tonks parents were told why didn't they come to see him. What's up with them dammit!

Now, onto the evil characters. I like Draco Malfoy simply because he has that snarky, I-am-better-than-you attitude which most of the time gets him in trouble. I like him because he's bad and because he acts like an ignorant idiot. I like the Slytherin's because of their arrogant attitude and I am not saying that they are in the right, I am just saying that I like seeing them be bad. And also, we know next to nothing about the Slytherin kids true motives. Whether it's just their parents preconceptions they are spouting out or whether they actually being all that pureblood stuff.

Same thing goes for the Death Eaters. Evil has more fun dammit and although I will probably cheer on their deaths, I will enjoy seeing them put up one hell of a fight. Although again we haven't seen much characterisation in the books so I am waiting for the 6th one for that.

But well, I have to say something about Voldemort now, don't I? Now he is a mystery. We know that he is a halfblood who is fighting a war against muggles and those who support them. What the hell? If his followers found out that he is a halfblood they would probably kill him so what is he playing at. What are his motives? But whatever his plan is he must have been planning it for a long time. He made sure that he wouldn't be able to be killed as evidenced by his suriving the rebounding killing curse so what are his intentions. What does he want to accomplish? World domination and killing everyone seem a tad too trivial for someone who put all that effort into staying alive. We have been told that in HBP that alot more is revealed about Voldemort so hopefully some of those questions will be answered.

And now it's late and I've run out of characters so tell me if there are anymore than you want my opinion on. (Ha!)

But I still want to talk about my main ship and that is of course Remus and Sirius. And why they may not have been confirmed as canon they haven't not been confirmed. I don't know why but I just really like them together. There are alot of really great fics out there that have them together I just really enjoy reading them. There is just something about them that not only makes sense but makes me feel good. Don't ask me to be more literate than that because I can't, when I get off my arse and update my rec page you will be able to see some of the fics I am talking about but for some far out reason I just like them. End of story. And the smut fics are really hot.

Which I suppose brings me to another reason why I like Harry Potter and the is the fandom. There are so many questions left unanswered in the books (probably deliberately) and so many stories to be filled in that the fandom behind the series is huge and I like the fact that I can move beyond the books. I can imagine the HP story beyond the canon and I can explore the characters beyond what is given and that just makes things so much more enjoyable. Many characters and ships I like because I have read good things about them in the fandom and while canon may or may not confirm things in the future. Y'know I really don't know why I got so obsessed in the fandom, I mean, duh, I love the books but why take it further? I think it's just because I find writing and making icons and art and thinking about this stuff so enjoyable. I get obsessed because it's fun and some people in real life can just be ignorant and stupid.

Al last but not least let me talk about the films. For the record, yes, I know they mangle canon and mess up plots but we are technically talking about a fanon creation. The films are not canon and are subject to time considerations and the directors personal vision. However I still really like the films because I keep the aforementioned facts in mind. I like seeing the books on screen because I can see, visually what's happening and the films also seem to have, how can I put this, more intense scenes, more elaborate stuff. Like how Hermione punched Draco. In the books she slapped him and I think she would do that rather than full on hit him. But I liked seeing the punch because it indulged my fannish tendencies. So I think that's it, I like the films because they can be more cliched and fannish and just hell yeah! Do ya get me?

Anyway, I think I am finished because seriously, this is one freakin' long post and what on earth was I thinking because now you will all think I am terribly obsessed if you did not think that before :P

But let me say this. We have two books, four movies and countless hours of fandom to go. It is going to be great.

(Oh and because this post is so loooooong it shall not be proof read. My thoughts are meant to be jumbled and weird, thankyou.)