Favorite Shop in Diagon Alley?

This is a tough one, especially since I’ve never been to any of them. Gringotts is famous for its grandeur, although it’s not a shop, it’s probably one of the most fascinating places in the Harry Potter series. You can never go wrong with a sweets shop, like Florean Fortescue’s Ice Cream Parlour. Florean used to come out and give Harry homework help and free ice cream. I’m not particularly fond of joke shops, so I’m not sure how appealing I would find Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes, although I’d definitely love to look around. Then, there’s Quality Quidditch Supplies, Ollivander’s, and Madam Malkin’s Robes for All Occasions. Since I love clothes shopping, I’m tempted to think I would spend a lot of time in Madam Malkins. Although Ollivander’s would be fascinating to visit, it’s not the kind of shop that you keep visiting. As far as Quality Quidditch Supplies goes, I’m not sure if I’m much of a quidditch player and it’s difficult to tell if this store would heighten my interest. 

I don’t know that it’s possible to have a “favorite” store in Diagon Alley. A favorite room in Hogwarts would be more appropriate, but the book is not centralized around Diagon Alley, and the characters do not spend a lot of time there. I guess I’ll just have to go to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter and see some of these places for myself!

Least Favorite Class

I don’t think I would much fancy Potions. I’m terrible at it in Pottermore, and I don’t think I would like cutting up gurdy roots, flubberworms, touching spider legs, and all that. I think I would be really grossed out by Potions, like dissecting things in Biology. I conveniently was absent for the two dissections in 10th grade, I think.

Also, since I’m a Ravenclaw, I’m inclined to think that Snape wouldn’t like me very much and he would be a pain to try to please. Slughorn would be fun though.

Favorite Class/Subject

I think my favorite class is Charms, or A History of Magic. Charms would be fun because it’s a useful class, but it also seems to be the class where Ron, Hermione, and Harry have their conversations on the side (using “Muffliato”) widely unnoticed by anyone. Although every time A History of Magic is mentioned, it usually also says something along the lines of “Harry was sleeping,” or “Harry was not listening,” I think it would be rather interesting, even if it is taught by a ghost. Harry just needs to suck it up and start paying attention to Professor Binns, no wonder why he didn’t know about GODRIC Gryffindor living in GODRIC’s Hollow. I would have thought he could have easily guessed that, but apparently not and he just wants to be angst-y at Dumbledore for not telling him.

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I keep forgetting to blog, and for awhile I wasn’t sure what my favorite class was.

The big news of this semester was that I officially declared a new major, Musicology. This summer, I’m going to MI to stay with Mom and Kathy. I’m going to be working and taking an Elementary German class, because I can’t fit German into my schedule next fall. I will be taking a lot of classes in the fall, though! I’m starting to look into grad schools and realizing I have to take the GRE and I have not done any preparation for it because I didn’t need to take it before I switched majors. I’ll also be doing that this summer, I haven’t taken a math class since Algebra II!

I also just got my new invisalign trays today for the refinement! My original invisalign plan was 16 trays, and the refinement is 15 trays, so I guess i’m only half way done. The annoying thing is they put two buttons on one of my top front teeth, and they’re really awkward and noticeable.

Zach’s recital is next week, April 26th. He asked for me to make him Blue Moon Cupcakes and The Last Chocolate Chip Cookie; essentially, the chocolate chip cookie recipe is only special for three reasons: You buy the most expensive chocolate you can find and cut it into chunks (or, for a college kid, expensive chocolate is Ghiradelli or Godiva), Turbinado sugar (sugar in the raw), and with the exception of the raw sugar, I use entirely brown sugar (which means it’s really gooey). For the Blue Moon cupcakes, I’m considering using some Grand Marnier in the frosting to really make the orange pop out… I’m really not going to like these cupcakes.

And shortly after Zach’s recital is Dad’s wedding! Does anyone know what they’re wearing? I realized today that it snuck up on me and I have no idea what to wear. I have a grand total of two dresses, so I guess it’s either purple or red. What’d you reckon?

Least Favorite Professor

Dolores Umbridge, with her office full of cat photos. She tries to overtake the school with educational decrees and creates the position Head Inquisitor (or whatever it was). Her terrible quill that Harry head to continuously write lines with. She doesn’t get any better in the 7th book either, you would have thought getting taken away by a group of angry centaurs would have made her come ’round, but no. She’s a crazy bitch that writes about “Mudbloods and the Dangers They Pose” instead of doing something useful for the second wizarding war.

Her Defense Against the Dark Arts Class was useless, nearly as useless as Gilderoy Lockhart’s. I considered him for my least favorite professor, but decided that JK Rowling does such a great job making you HATE Umbridge every moment of the Order of the Phoenix.

Favorite Professor

A couple come to mind, but I think my favorite is Professor Lupin. He really goes out of his way to help Harry and is a great teacher. He spent so much extra time working with Harry to produce a patronus. Also, since he is old friends with James, he is almost a father figure for Harry. Lupin covered for Harry when Snape was about to punish him for being in Hogsmeade, yet also expressed to Harry that he was worried about Harry carrying around the Marauder’s Map, and refused to return it (that is, until Sirius was found innocent & Lupin resigned as a teacher).

Lupin is caring, sincere, gentle, and very understanding. He is the best defense against the dark arts teacher in the series and arguably one of the teachers that the students learned the most from.

Some of the saddest moments in Harry Potter

I’m troubled to pick one, but I’ve narrowed it down a lot. These are in order, beginning with, what I find, the saddest.

In St. Mungos, when Harry, Ron and Hermione run into Neville. They watch his mother hand him an empty gum (or candy) wrapper, and Neville just beams at her and says “Thanks, mom” and his mom just bounces away, unknowingly.

Fred’s death. The fact that Percy had finally apologized for being an idiot and decided to join the Battle of Hogwarts. Fred died while telling a joke, and it was one of the saddest moments to see Percy and Ron so upset.

The very end of the third book. Harry was so ecstatic when Sirius asked him to move in, and soon enough Harry faces the fact that he’ll have to return to the Dursley’s.

There are others, but these three stick out in my mind.

Favorite Villain

Obviously, the best villain in the Harry Potter series is Bellatrix Lestrange.

The botom photo really says it all… she’s badass.

Prompt #3: Favorite Character

My favorite character is Luna Lovegood.  She’s smart, quirky, and loyal. She’s a really good friend to Harry, Ron, and Hermione and really enjoys the people that hang out with her.  Her fascination with wrackspurts, nargles, dirigible plums, and her radish earrings brings an interesting twist and shows a different side of the wizarding world. Also, her quidditch commentary is awesome.

“. . . but now that big Hufflepuff player’s got the Quaffle from , her, I can’t remember his name, it’s something like Bibble — no, Buggins —”

“It’s Cadwallader!” said Professor McGonagall loudly from beside Luna. The crowd laughed.

Prompt #2: Your least favorite book in the series

I don’t much fancy the Goblet of Fire. For some reason, the Triwizard Tournament does not interest me. I can’t stand Cedric Diggory and I don’t like Madeye (not the real or fake one). It seems impractical that nobody would have discovered Barty Crouch Jr.’s secret for a whole year, especially Dumbledore or Snape. The relationship between Hagrid and Madam Maxime bores me– she’s a stuck up git who won’t even admit to be a giantess, but is simply “big boned.” The quidditch world cup just took up too many pages and was largely dull until the invasion by death eaters. The only thing that interested me in this book was the introduction of other wizarding schools, and the brief reference to Gregorovitch. Also, I did like Hermione and Krum.

This movie is also one of the worst. Fleur is supposed to be stunningly beautiful, but nobody in the entire cast is more beautiful than Emma Watson, and Hermione is not supposed to be jaw-droppingly gorgeous. This is also the movie when Hermione starts looking more like a model and less like her character. Also, all of the boys need drastic haircuts in this movie. I’m sure there are more picky things I could mention, but it’s been several months since I’ve seen the movie or read the book, so I can write more details later.

As a side note, how can I get a super awesome Harry Potter themed blog??? This is the only picture I could find that fit this theme, and wordpress is hard to use. I want it to look really cool

The Half Blood Prince

Okay, there are several reasons why the HBP is the best book in the Harry Potter series.

Harry’s lessons with Dumbledore. I love the backstory of Marvolo, Merope and Morphin Gaunt. As Voldemort’s horcrux obsession begins, it’s fascinating to watch Tom Riddle as he becomes less human and more obsessed with his quest to immortality.

Horace Slughorn. He’s obnoxious in almost a Gilderoy Lockhart sort of way (though definitely not as extreme), but I really like him. I also think the actor that they found to portray him is very accurate. He’s hilarious, insightful, hesitant, but an example of someone coming out of Slytherin that is… almost normal.

The quotes. Some of the best quotes are from the HBP. Some of my faves:

“Oh, very good,” interrupted Snape, his lip curling. “Yes, it is easy to see that nearly six years of magical education have not been wasted on you, Potter. ‘Ghosts are transparent.’” – Severus Snape

“Let us step out into the night and pursue that flighty temptress, adventure.” – Albus Dumbledore

“Of course, if I were a Death Eater, I would make sure to find out my own jam preferences before impersonating myself.” – Albus Dumbledore

[Harry] Yes.

[Snape] Yes, sir.

[Harry] There’s no need to call me “sir”, Professor.

Luna Lovegood. I love when Harry asks her to go to Slughorn’s party, and I think this is the book when Luna and Neville get closer with Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Which is awesome because honestly, most people don’t only have two friends that they ever hang out with.

The vanishing cabinet. JK Rowling starts bringing in things from earlier books; The pair of vanishing cabinets is mentioned in the Chamber of Secrets. Harry hides from Draco inside the one at Borgin & Burkes, and Peeves breaks the one at Hogwarts.  

In general, the HBP links the 5th and 7th books perfectly. I find it the most interesting, and it’s fun that couples start popping up everywhere– Bill and Fleur, Remus and Tonks, Harry and Ginny, Ron and Hermione (and all their bickering). 

Lastly, the question everyone was asking at the end of the HBP: Is Snape good or evil?