Week 5 - Character Discussion

[Prof. Tarma Amelia Black]

So you are starting to learn more about your character -- let's see what we find out as you respond to these prompts!

What is some of the minutiae about your character? Or, what is part of the 'bigger picture' about them? You can use what we know about them from this or other books in the series but please do feel free to use your imagination. You can respond to the prompts in the first person (as they would, in their own voice) or you can tell us about them in the third person (like the book does with Harry), it’s up to you.

There are 6 prompts from which to choose, two per chapter. You need to choose one and respond to it in 100 words or more to earn 20 beans and a dice roll for the board game. You’re more than welcome to do the other prompts for more beans but you won’t earn any extra rolls.

• Chapter 13 - From Amy: Which is your character’s favourite book from the library and why? From Tarma is something along a similar vein: What bit of 'light reading' from the Hogwarts library would your character have borrowed to read?
• Chapter 14 - From Amy: What was the most daring thing your character did in their first year? From Tarma: If your character had ended up going to Madam Pomfrey, for what would it have been?
• Chapter 15: From Amy: Your character got detention. What was it for and what was it? From Tarma: What would your character consider to be the worst detention ever?

Post your responses below by 11:59 PM HOL-time on the 31st of May.

[Prof. Will Lestrange]

What would your character consider to be the worst detention ever?

I'd say that the worst detention ever would be one that could be expected to result in physical or mental harm to me. After all, if I came out of detention in such a bad state that I was unable to revise, I would not be a good member of my House - and if detention rendered me unable to do my schoolwork or socialize with my friends, that would kind of make school feel like a waste of time for me... to the point I might as well have just stayed in Muggle school! Thankfully no detention seems to be like that among the ones my classmates have gotten this year, but I have read about quills that use - not ink - but rather a person's blood. The thought of having to write lines with such a quill? That would be the worst type of detention I could think of... having to use enough blood to write the appropriate amount of lines would likely not be good for me at all!

(Yes, I am indeed referring to Harry Potter's detentions with Dolores Umbridge early in his fifth year...)

[Luna Ravenlong]

Dean Thomas

If your character had ended up going to Madam Pomfrey, for what would it have been?

I had to visit the hospital wing to see Madam Pomfrey for the first time today. It all started when we saw the first quidditch match of the season-I thought it looked so cool the way the players were zooming around the pitch. Madam Hooch barely lets us go 10 feet above the ground since Neville’s accident, so me and Seamus thought we’d sneak the brooms out and have a proper go. It was not as easy as we thought! It started off well, but they’re much harder to control them than it looks…I wound up crashing into a tree and falling to the ground. Fortunately I only ended up with a broken nose, a sprained ankle and some bruises. Madam Pomfrey patched me up quickly, and said she wouldn’t even tell Professor McGonagal- as long as we promised to never do it again!

[River Fenwick]

Seamus Finnigan
If your character had ended up going to Madam Pomfrey, for what would it have been?

Madam Pomfrey's seen a lot of me in her Hospital Wing, to be fair. I've always been a bit too curious for me own good, but not quite enough coordination to keep up with it. In other words, I'm a bit of a clutz. Potions class? Definitely not my thing. I've had more than a few mishaps there, enough that Madam Pomfrey's had to patch me up more times than I can count. If I had to wager, I'd say most of me time in the Hospital Wing's been from burns thanks to me cauldron having a mind of its own, expelling potions from itself (definitely not me fault). Though, I've also had a couple of broken bones from falling off me broom and getting too nosy with some magical plants!

[Prof. Scarlet Leslie-Lewis]

Padma Patil
What bit of 'light reading' from the Hogwarts library would your character have borrowed to read?

Mum asked me to see if the Hogwarts library has a copy of Enchantment in Baking. She is always trying to figure out ways to improve her samosas. Why she doesn't own a copy of the book is beyond me. She claims that it will get lost in the kitchen or that she would never have the time to read it.

Nevertheless, I would never dream to turn down an opportunity to visit the library and browse through the seemingly endless shelves. A book with a long title caught my eye - Powers You Never Knew You Had and What To Do With Them Now You've Wised Up. I pulled it off the bookcase and added it to my growing stack of books to borrow.