Sorry for my extended absence, but I needed a mini-break, so I took one! 😀 But I’m back! And talking about one of my all-time favorite authors and book series: Harry Potter. It’s been a big year for HP fans as we celebrated 20 years of Harry Potter magic on June 26 and both HP and J.K. celebrated their birthdays on July 31. The later HP books were released at the end of July to coordinate with HP’s birthday but with my big ego, I always claimed she did it as a birthday present to me. 😀
In honor of the many hours of pure delight J.K Rowling’s Harry Potter has given me, I’m partaking in a Harry Potter tag from my friend, Audrey.
1. What is your favorite book?
The Prisoner of Azkaban and ironically … see #4.
2. What is your favorite film?
This is tough. I feel like I should say Deathly Hallows, which I did enjoy and thought they ended the series very well. But honestly, I am going to go with a somewhat unconventional choice: Sorcerer’s Stone. It began my love affair with Harry Potter. A friend visiting me wanted to see the movie and I didn’t because “kids movie”. Since I am a Minnesotan and we are nice people, I went rather begrudgingly. Of course, I fell in love with Harry Potter and became a hardcore fan. Compared to the later movies, it is a simple, kids movie but one that always, always makes me smile every time I see it on TV.
3. What is your least favorite book?
Order of the Phoenix because I must not tell lies.
4. What is your least favorite film?
The Prizoner of Azkaban. It’s not a bad movie but because it was my favorite HP book, my expectations were very, very high, and I took major umbrage (HAHAHAHAHAHA) to removal of some of my favorite scenes (winning the Quidditch Cup, etc).
5. Parts of the books/films that made you cry?
So much. So very, very much. Sirius. Dumbledore. Dobby (man, that one really, really devastated me). Snape whom I never expected to shed a tear over but bawled terribly when he died (jerk also made me cry in Cursed Child too). Tonks and Lupin. And Neville when he stood up at the end to confront Voldemort. I swear it: nerds will inherit the earth.
6. If you could hook up with any character, who would it be?
Whoa. I never really thought about it because I started reading the books as an adult, so the characters have always been kids in my mind. And ewwwww. I never really even thought about the adults romantically, so I’m not sure.
7. Who is your favorite character?
I loved book Ginny and wish movie Ginny had more of an opportunity to shine so movie-only fans realized how badass she was and why she was more than worthy of HP’s love.
Of course, I loved Harry, Hermione and Ron and considered them to be the perfect trio.
8. Who is your least favorite character?
I hated Snape throughout the entire series until the very bitter end where I wept for him. Major props to Rowling for skillfully taking Snape from villain to someone rather human.
I also intensely disliked Umbrage. And take deep umbrage to her being a cat lover.
9. What is your favorite quote?
“It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live.”
– Albus Dumbledore in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
“You’ll stay with me?’
Until the very end,’ said James.”
– Harry Potter and James Potter in Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows
“You will also find that help will always be given at Hogwarts to those who ask for it.”
– Albus Dumbledore in Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets
“Yer a wizard, Harry.”
– Hagrid in Harry Potter and The Sorcerer’s Stone
10. What is your least favorite quote?
I don’t understand this question.
11. What would your Patronus be?
A cat. Duh.
12. What would your Boggart be?
Emperor Baby Fists or Freddy Krueger. Aren’t they the same?
13. What would you rather have – the elder wand, the resurrection stone or the invisibility cloak?
It would be very cool to do magic with a regular ‘ol wand, but not the elder wand — too much power. But out of the three listed, I’d take the invisibility cloak.
14. Which house would you be in?
Well, I’ve never tried to be sorted on Pottermore or anywhere else. 😀 I’d want to be in Gryffindor with Harry. And I’d likely try to manipulate my way into Gryffindor by answering my questions like any good Gryffindor would, which means I’m either really a Ravenclaw or gulp … a Slytherin.
15. If you were on the Quidditch team, which position would you play?
None. I’m afraid of heights. 😀
16. Which class would be your favorite?
Dark Arts.
17. If you could bring one character back to life, who would it be?
Just one? Can’t do it.
- Sirius. He deserved more time with Harry.
- Dumbledore. Because Dumbledore.
- Dobby. I am not ashamed to admit that I cried the hardest at his death.
18. What would your job be in the magical world?
A writer. I’d write for Luna’s Dad at the Quibbler.
19. If you could meet any member of the cast, who would it be?
Well, I would have loved to have met Alan Rickman. While Snape may have been one of my least-favorite characters, Rickman portrayed him perfectly and I adore Rickman (RIP!). I’d also want to meet the trio — Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint. And to be completely honest, I’d pass all of them by to meet J.K. Rowling in a heartbeat.
20. Were you happy with the ending?
Yes, I was. The book ended a bit stronger in my opinion as it had a bit more clarity. I was overall okay with The Cursed Child, although I do consider Deathly Hallows to be the real ending. J.K. Rowling may have given her approval for Cursed Child, but since it wasn’t written by her, Deathly Hallows stands as the ending for me. At the same time, I am absolutely dying to see Cursed Child on stage where I suspect is where it really shines as that is how it was always intended to be seen.
Thank You for All the Magic
One reason that I love Harry Potter so much was the amazing world Rowling created, which reminded me how magical and powerful books truly are. I have always been a reader but sometimes you take them for granted but HP reminded me why I love reading so much. To Rowling and to all my favorite authors and those just taking pen to paper to craft future favorite novels, thank you for the magic you bring into this world.
Okay, Harry Potter lovers, I want to hear your answers! Or tag — you’re it!
Tanya
P.S. Yes, I know this would have been more appropriate on the 31st. But alas, I have no time-turner so we make do.
I so have wanting to see The Cursed Child on Broadway as a bucket list item. I can only imagine how amazing it is.
YESSSSS to so many questions. Prisoner of Azkaban is my fav book too. Sirius Black… sigh… loved the movie version of him too.
Ohhh mercy, I SOBBED with Dobby died. & in the movie? I was a mess.
Snape… killed me & I was the same way about him being in the Cursed Child… made the whole book for me.
Seeing Cursed Child is on my bucket list too!! Gary Oldman was the perfect Sirius Black. Oh my gosh, Rebecca Jo. Dobby’s death killed me. Killed. Me. Snape did me in too and I never expected to care about him. I was so dang mad that he AGAIN made me cry in Cursed Child! LOL!
A writer at The Quibbler! That’s a great job!
As a kid I had a huge crush on George Weasley. As a teen I actually felt for Malfoy toward the end and secretly loved him. As an adult I totally have it bad for Lupin and Sirius. Hahahahaha!
How much fun would it be to work with Luna’s Dad, right? I believe there were quite a few Draco Malfoy fans by the end. But in my head, they were kids so I just never had crushes on them. And for whatever reason, I never thought about the adults romantically, although I was always a big fan of Sirius.
Ooh, I loved this! I love that I have been able to get my daughter into Harry Potter and she loves it 🙂
I believe I did a hat-sorting thing online (not sure if it was Pottermore or not), but it said I was a Ravenclaw. I don’t think I was adventurous enough in my answers to be sorted into Gryffindor, lol… 🙂
I love that your daughter is a HP fan too. One of my good friends had zero interest in HP personally but then her son got interested so they listened to the books on the way to and from school and she got hooked too! 😀 I can definitely see you being in Ravenclaw!
but what about hedwig?! i did not cry over dobby but definitely over hedwig.
i don’t want to hook up with any of the characters. ew.
i totally agree about book ginny. i love her.
i ignore the fact that umbridge loved cats.
my patronus would be a cat too! i think i did the test and it said otter and i said no test, you are wrong. cat.
i would bring back hedwig. SHE DID NOTHING WRONG AND DIED TRYING TO SAVE HARRY.
i love snape and Alan Rickman as snape, but i love Alan Rickman as Alan Rickman and would have wanted to meet him before HP. I just think he was fabulous. I adore Emma Watson. I’d like to think we’d be friends but she’s probably too cool for me.
ps RIP Hedwig
This is too funny, but this post made me revisit the HP books and I regretted not including Hegwig in my list because her death hit me hard too. Book Ginny is the best. I used to be confused when movie-only fans thought Harry should be with Hermione when he clearly was meant to be with Ginny. But given her small role in the movies, I understood their confusion. Yes, we would both have cat patronuses and they would be AMAZING!