In this
We got some good variation, but we did get some overlap as well. We aimed to give honest answers rather than change our answers to allow for diversity.
This piece is purely for fun and purely for Potter fans. If you haven't read the series, we invite you to start with Book 1 right now. We'll see you back here on Friday.
For those of you who remain, how do your own answers stack up? Feel free to speak up in the comments with your own answers to these questions and your own rankings.
Have fun.
A Reminder Cheat Sheet:
Book 1: Sorcerer's Stone
Book 2: Chamber of Secrets
Book 3: Prisoner of Azkaban
Book 4: Goblet of Fire
Book 5: Order of the Phoenix
Book 6: Half Blood Prince
Book 7: Deathly Hallows
Favorite scene in the series:
Jonny: A favorite scene, like a wand, is not easy to pick. No, the favorite scene, like the favorite book, picks the reader. Many things must be taken into account, and truly I (like anyone else) have multiple favorites, one to fit each mood. Overall, the scene that keeps coming back coming back to me is right after the cave in book 6, when Dumbledore is weakened by the potion and they are swimming out, Dumbledore clinging to Harry for support. The full, brilliant reversal of their relationship is revealed when Dumbledore says, "I am not worried Harry, I'm with you."
Emily: The graveyard scene in book 4. This was the point in the series where it really took a dark turn. It's the scene that makes you realize that the story is much larger than you had previously thought.
Corman: Embarrassment of riches, really, but mine’s the “something like triumph” scene near the end of Goblet of Fire. Harry and Dumbledore have this (seemingly) innocuous conversation, but Dumbledore’s tone belies the immensity of the gamble he’s taking, a gamble we only glimpse at this point, but that becomes fully revealed before all is said and done.
Who is worse? Umbridge or Voldemort?
Jonny: Umbridge. People literally hissed in the theater when she first showed her face in Order of the Phoenix. I know this post isn't about the films, but this experience only illustrated how hated the Umbridge of the books is. It was opening night, so none of these people had yet seen the film. It was the lingering repulsion of the book Umbridge that stuck like stinksap and drew their hisses. Umbridge is no less oppressive than Voldemort, but her saccharine, sickly sweet exterior is what makes her more disgusting than a bogey flavored jelly bean. At least Voldemort doesn't pretend to be something he isn't.
Emily: Voldemort. While Umbridge may hide behind a wall of lies, remember that Voldemort did the same thing until he was powerful enough to come out in the open with his evil. He is no better, only more ruthless.
Corman: I’m taking Umbridge, and I’m using Paradise Lost as my rationale. Voldemort reaches a point (like Satan in Milton’s opus) where pride and hate have driven him beyond the capacity for empathy and love, and his humanity is essentially nonexistent (further exemplified by the horcruxes, yada, yada). By the end, “choice” is a relative term for Voldemort. Umbridge is the knowing hand of a fascist regime, but she still has a soul, and she’s making destructive choices that she has to know are evil. Lucifer becomes evil and doesn’t have the capacity for anything else. Same with moldy Voldy. Umbridge has options, and she picks the sickliest pink one every time.
If you had to choose a Hogwarts "major":
Jonny: Transfiguration. Infinitely complex and limitless possibilities.
Emily: Potions. Four words: Brew glory. Stopper death.
Corman: Who isn’t taking Defense Against the Dark Arts? Potions is cool, but ultimately too like math. DADA is about feel and passion, and it’s the implicitly moral choice. I can’t even come up with a close second.
If you
Jonny: Fleur Delacour. I've always enjoyed a challenge.
Emily: George Weasley.
Corman: Hermione and I are too alike (stubborn, over-thinking, know-it-alls who can’t stand being wrong), and Cho’s carrying Cedric’s torch to the grave, so I’m going Katie Bell. We don’t know much about her, except that she likes sports and she’s a Gryffindor (which carries a lot of weight, after all), but there’s enough there to warrant my interest (for all of you touting Fleur, she’s got too much power to trust).
If you had to marry one of the characters, it would be:
Jonny: Hermione Granger. I was a little in love with Hermione by the time I finished books 1-6 for the first time. By the time book 7 came out I had realized that I already knew my own real life Hermione, so I married her.
Emily: James Potter. He's like George in the fun ways, but he's grown into a responsible man.
Corman: Ginny. Capable wizard, tough, not high-maintenance, good family background, just romantic enough, and, just like Katie Bell, she likes sports. Plus, I’ve got a thing for fair skin, freckles, and red hair.
Scene (back story, or stuff that goes on behind the scenes during the saga's timeline) you most want to read about in full:
Jonny: The duel between Dumbledore and Grindelwald. There is a hot steaming cauldron worth of potential for awesome action and for Rowling to work her creative magic with some (as of yet) unmentioned spell work from these two juggernauts. Plus, most importantly, there is an entire department's worth of mysteries here, and I want answers.
Emily: I want to hear about Regulus Back: his turn from the dark side, his own experience in the cave, and how he met his death.
Corman: In Deathly Hallows, the brief glimpse we get of Snape’s backstory as a spy is FASCINATING (not to mention the fantastically written scene at Spinner’s End at the beginning of Half-Blood Prince. I would read a Snape-perspective novel in a heartbeat.
One food item, unique to the Harry Potter universe, you want to try the most:
Jonny: Butterbeer. My mouth waters just reading about the stuff, and I've never even tasted it.
Emily: Butterbeer
Corman: Butterbeer. As much as anything, I’m curious. All the man-made recipes I’ve seen online involve butterscotch, which I loathe, but I don’t actually think that’s how it’s supposed to taste. Maybe like Bourbon Barrel Ale, but without the alcohol taste? I have to know!
What one item you would buy from Weasley's Wizard Wheezes:
Jonny: A Patented Daydream Charm. "One simple incantation and you will enter a top quality, highly realistic, thirty-minute daydream, easy to fit into the average school lesson and virtually undetectable." Oh, the possibilities.
Emily: Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder. You're at a party with a bunch of people you don't know, and you get cornered by some dullard who wants to talk about, oh I don't know, Harry Potter for two hours or so. What do you do? Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder is what you do. You're out of there before he can say "Merlin's Pants," and you can filch a couple of Blu-Rays, some nice photo frames, and maybe a house pet or two on your way out.
Corman: This is probably way too practical, but as a teacher, I’d love to have some extendable ears. Just to know what these couples whisper to each other between wet kisses in the hallway, just so I could laugh more.
Quidditch position you would play:
Jonny: Chaser all the way. I played striker in soccer and point guard in basketball, so I've got the real life experience to back me up. In athletics I was quick, slippery, and a point scorer.
Emily: Seeker. I'm small, and it's all about precision and speed.
Corman: Assuming my gangly ass could get airborne astride a broom, I’m saying beater. My size (6’4” 225 lbs.) precludes positions that demand speed (seeker, chaser), and I’m not agile enough to be a keeper, but my baseball and golf years have built up a pretty solid ability to produce the torque required to launch bludgers.
Your Patronus would be:
Jonny: Great White Shark
Emily: Mongoose
Corman: Penguin
Your animagus form would be:
Jonny: A falcon. It's all in the nose.
Emily: A golden retriever
Corman: A Crane. Long legs, disproportionately-sized feet, broad wingspan. Fits the bill, plus it would allow me to fly, which is something I’ll take anytime I can get.
---Harry Potter by the numbers. Let the Sorting begin!---
Favorite Book: (This category may defy all explanation. Remember, the reader doesn't choose the book, the book chooses the reader. A favorite JUST IS)
Jonny: 1st Place: Book 4, Runner-up: Book 6, The Rest: 7, 5, 3, 1, 2
Emily: 1st Place: Book 6, Runner-up: Book 7, The Rest: 3, 5, 4, 1, 2
Corman: 1st Place: Book 4, Runner-up: Book 6, The Rest: 7, 5, 3, 1, 2
Funniest:
Jonny: 1st Place: Book 1, Runner-up: Book 6, The Rest: 4, 3, 5, 2, 7
Emily: 1st Place: Book 1, Runner-up: Book 6, The Rest: 2, 3, 4, 7, 5
Corman: 1st Place: Book 1, Runner-up: Book 3, The Rest: 2, 4, 5, 6, 7
Most Poetic:
Jonny: 1st Place: Book 6, Runner-up: Book 4, The Rest: 7, 5, 3, 1, 2
Emily: 1st Place: Book 6, Runner-up: Book 7, The Rest: 5, 3, 4, 2, 1
Corman: 1st Place: Book 7, Runner-up: Book 4, The Rest: 6, 5, 3, 1 and 2 (tie)
Best Adventure:
Jonny: 1st Place: Book 4, Runner-up: Book 7, The Rest: 5, 6, 1, 3, 2
Emily: 1st Place: Book 7, Runner-up: Book 4, The Rest: 6, 3, 5, 1, 2
Corman: 1st Place: Book 4, Runner-up: Book 7, The Rest: 3, 1, 6, 2, 5
Best Action:
Jonny: 1st Place: Book 7, Runner-up: Book 4, The Rest: 5, 6, 2, 3, 1
Emily: 1st Place: Book 4, Runner-up: Book 7, The Rest: 5, 3, 2, 6, 1
Corman: 1st Place: Book 7, Runner-up: Book 4, The Rest: 5, 6, 3, 2, 1
Most Epic:
Jonny: 1st Place: Book 7, Runner-up: Book 4, The Rest: 6, 5, 3, 2, 1
Emily: 1st Place: Book 7, Runner-up: Book 6, The Rest: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
Corman: 1st Place: Book 7, Runner-up: Book 4, The Rest: 5, 6, 3, 2, 1
Best Writing:
Jonny: 1st Place: Book 7, Runner-up: Book 6, The Rest: 4, 3, 1, 5, 2
Emily: 1st Place: Book 6, Runner-up: Book 3, The Rest: 7, 4, 5, 2, 1
Corman: 1st Place: Book 6, Runner-up: Book 4, The Rest: 5, 7, 3, 2, 1
Let's hear your own versions of these lists and your answers to the questions!
