Harry Potter Tag

The books we all know and love

It’s been a long time since it finished and we’ve all grown older and wiser, and yet every year we’re still secretly devastated when an invitation to Hogwarts doesn’t arrive on our birthday. Yes, of course, I’m talking about the phenomenon that is the Harry Potter universe.

I saw this tag on Avid Reader’s blog and thought it looked like a fun way to look back fondly on my love of this series. I hope you’ll get involved and share your answers in a post of your own.

• What is your favourite book?

This is like Sophie’s choice right away. I love them all; how can I possibly choose a favourite? I remember flying through the Prisoner of Azkaban and feel it was the first one that for me really played up the darker elements of the story and the first one that felt less like ‘a great children’s book’ and simply ‘a great book’ regardless of audience. I can remember the exact seat I was sitting in when I finished reading it and that I didn’t eat until really late that night because I refused to stop until I had reached the end. From that moment, I had to get every book as soon as it came out. For the clarity of that specific memory, I’ll choose the Prisoner of Azkaban.

• What is your favourite film?

Again, this is really tough. The Philosopher’s Stone holds a special place in my heart because it’s so charming and I remember how excited I was to see the world come to life so beautifully for the first time (and because fetus Harry, Ron and Hermione are adorable).

Ultimately, I think I would have to choose the Deathly Hallows. (I’m cheating and counting both parts as one overall movie). It’s visually stunning, dark, tense, exciting and a wonderful climax to so many years of growth and development.

• What is your least favourite book?

As I said before, I really do love them all. I’ll say the Order of the Phoenix simply because it is rather long and even JK Rowling herself has said in hindsight that it could and should have been shorter. I’m not one to argue with the master.

• What is your least favourite film?

Again, I don’t truthfully have one. I remember being quite ill and more or less bedridden for a week years ago and for some reason felt it would be best to watch the Chamber of Secrets on a loop, so I somewhat sickened myself of it for a while, albeit only briefly.

• Which parts of the books/films made you cry?

RIP Hedwig… The film made it even worse because she died actually trying to protect Harry. The end made me sad too, not so much because of what actually happened but simply because it was all over.

• If you could hook up with any character who would it be?

*Shudder* The characters in this series feel like old friends that we all grew up with and so in every respect that mere notion is just wrong.

• Who is your favourite character?

Gah, so many to choose from! I think overall my runner up would be Luna Lovegood. Not only is she wonderfully weird but better still, she makes no effort to sensor herself to appease ‘normal’ people. Nor should she.

My number one would likely have to be Hermione. She made it cool to be a nerd; she actually made it cool! The best thing about Hermione is that despite everything that makes her brilliant – her intelligence, her loyalty, her bravery – Rowling made it clear that just like everyone else, she is not perfect. I think that despite existing within a fictional fantasy world, Miss Granger is one of the best role models for young people out there.

• Who is your least favourite character?

I loathe Dolores Umbridge. Then again, I suppose we are meant to.

• What is your least favourite line? 

I can’t recall a line that stuck with me for being bad, not that that’s something to complain about.

• What would your Patronus be? 

A sloth? No, let’s go with a cat. They can still be pretty lazy but at least they do it with a little more class.

• If you could have the invisibility cloak, resurrection stone or elder wand, which would you choose?

The chance to go out in public without having to interact with other humans? I’ll take the invisibility cloak any day, thank you very much.

• What house would you be in?

I’m proud to say I took the test and am indeed a Gryffindor.

• If you could meet any member of the cast who would it be?

Emma Watson. This isn’t just because she plays my favourite character. I think she seems a genuinely smart, humble young woman and her recent speech on equality at the UN was fantastic.

• If you were on the Quidditch team, what position would you play?

Is there a position where you hide in the safety of the locker room until it’s over? Yeah, I’ll take that one.

• Were you happy with the ending?

I love the climax. I’m not entirely sure we needed the epilogue, though I do absolutely understand Rowling’s desire to show us at least a glimpse of the future for the characters we all felt were equally ours as much as they were hers, or else she would have been pestered relentlessly by fans wanting to know what became of them. The only part that irked me somewhat was the overly cheesy names for Harry’s children.

• How much does Harry Potter mean to you?

I’m part of the generation that feels they really grew up with the series and have such fond memories associated with both the books and the movies. It’s pure magical escapism that speaks to the desires and fears in us all. Even more generally, as a reader – and now a writer also – I am grateful that JK Rowling reignited the world’s passion for the written word.

Now, I’m off to see if my Hogwarts letter has finally arrived… *sigh*