The Fears of Pottermore

I am in a state of constant roller coaster as far as Pottermore goes. I check my email religiously, waiting for my "Welcome" letter (is this what wizarding children felt like waiting for their Hogwarts letter?) to come, but at the same time dreading it. And for one reason. Just one. The Sorting.

I know I'm not the only one worried about this. In fact, I think about half of my Facebook friends are freaking. And Alex Carpenter pretty much put my concerns into song. To the tee.

Seriously...what if Pottermore sorts me into the wrong house. I have identified with Hufflepuff for so long. I think I could come to terms with Ravenclaw, or even Slytherin if I had to. But I do not know what I will do if I get sorted into Gryffindor.

....god. To anyone outside the fandom, this probably sounds completely insane.

In other news, No New Stuff is going well. I didn't buy anything at all this week (well, except for groceries and some meds to get rid of my cold/flu/sickness) because I have been sick all week. So it's been an easy one.

[REVIEW] Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

Well. Now that my very word vomit-y LeakyCon blog posts are all out of the way...I have something a little more fun - Deathly Hallows Part 2 review! Yeah! I almost appologized to anyone who isn't a Potter fan, but then I realized that it's my blog. I do what I want. XD

It’s been a few weeks since the release now, and I have seen the film a total of four times. The first was the amazing amazing screening at LeakyCon, the second with Kayla, the third with Randy, and the fourth with all of my friends (or, many of them) for my birthday. It’s been about a week since I’ve seen it, so hopefully I’ll actually be able to say something about it.

All in all, I was happy with the film. I started to write this out in paragraph form, but I think I’ll do better in lists. It may not be as long then. (Maybe.)

• I absolutely loved the stuff at Shell Cottage (THEY PUT IN THE “HERE LIES DOBBY A FREE ELF” BIT IN. YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS) and the Gringott’s scene was BRILLIANT. That dragon broke my heart a bit, the way it was abused, the poor thing. Even Hermione using Reducto on it’s tail! Uhm. But all in all, yes, I loved it.
• I think one of my favourite added scenes was when Voldemort was walking through Gringotts, feet bloodied, all of the Goblins dead. God that was scary. Voldemort was so so scary in that scene. It was so well done.
• Aberforth was perfect, so was the Hogshead. I don’t have anything much more to say on that front, but I love love loved it.
• When Neville showed up in the portrait, I got major goose bumps and was overcome with the urge to cheer. (I blame LeakyCon.) And then when the trio came out of the other end into the Room of Requirement...oh goodness the chills. I was again overcome with the urge to cheer. (Still blame LeakyCon.)
• When everyone is in the Great Hall and Snape does his “everyone will be treated as a traitor aka die” speech I was actually a bit scared of him, even if his eyes did look sad.
• Seeing McGonagall scared was really...well, scary for me.
•  The “how dare you stand where he stood” line almost made me tear up. But that’s just because I’m still grieving for Dumbledore.
•  That whole bit with Harry telling Snape off was so wonderful, and so book 7 Harry. When the Order walked into the Great Hall, all bad ass...I once again, got chills and wanted to cheer. (Sigh. LeakyCon.) 
• Snape vs. McGonagall. God she is such a bad ass. And Snape was terrified! And totally didn’t want to fight her.
• “Blow it up? Boom?” “BOOM!”
• “I’ve always wanted to do that spell!”
• Where was Grawp?
• The Chamber of Secrets scene was so good! I’m so glad they added that. And the kiss. Ohhh the kiss. Finally.
•  I was extremely happy with the film until DRACO APPARATES INTO HOGWARTS. IT IS NOT POSSIBLE, KLOVES. NOT POSSIBLE! And then...the film took a bit of a turn for the worst, for me. Though I did like the Room of Requirement scene! I really liked Harry’s added bit to Draco – asking him why he didn’t sell him out. That was lovely.
• “THAT’S MY GIRLFRIEND, YOU NUMPTY!”
• “Not my daughter, you bitch” was so disappointing. Molly screamed it in the book. Like, fiercely. She didn’t just say it and then look terrified when Bellatrix came at her. No, she was pissed the fuck off. Fred was dead, she wasn’t about to loose Ginny too.
• I missed the bit with the House Elves. I wanted to see Kreacher with the locket, head of all of the House Elves being all fierce and RAWR.
• Oh, hello magical boat house that we’ve never seen before. Nice to meet you.
• Snape’s death scene was so violent! I mean, we didn’t see it, but the sounds and jerking and just a;kajdafsdf. Alan Rickman was so brilliant. I actually also liked that his memories were tears. It’s very poetic.
• The Prince’s Tale was so well filmed. The editing! Oh, the editing! It was glorious! And Alan Rickman. Oh my Merlin, he was a GOD. (Not Oscar worthy, though. Just saying.) But I didn’t cry, which is strange.
•  But...how did Snape have Lily’s memory? When she was telling Harry to be brave? Continuity is your friend, Mr. Kloves.
• I was surprisingly happy with Fred’s death. Seeing him dead on the ground, his family distraught around him (my god, George’s face
• “I’ll go with you!” My heart...it broke a bit.
• The forest scene. Oh, the forest scene. It was so perfect. And I was fine...right up until Sirius started to talk. And then I lost it. Sirius, you are still my hero.
• Neville. What can I say? He was so freaking bad ass. I loved it. I loved him blowing up the bridge. I loved him being all cocky when Howarts was protected and the Death Eaters couldn’t get to him. I loved the “oh shit” look on his face once the Death Eaters go passed. I loved him standing up to Voldemort. What I didn’t love...was his speech. It was directed right at the fans. And I really wanted to see him get his head set on fire, as awful as that sounds. I wanted to hear him yell “DUMBLEDORE’S ARMY!” – that’s all that would have been needed. Voldemort never would have let him go on about how Harry will always be with them. Neville would have been Cruicio’d before Harry’s name was out of his mouth.
• Awkward Voldemort hug. Nothing else needs to be said.
• I missed hearing Hagrid sob. That would have been so heart breaking, and probably would have sent me over the edge.
• When Harry falls out of Hagrid’s arms, (which looked like it hurt, bee tee dubs. Ouch.) George turns to talk to Fred. Oh my heart.
• I am actually okay with the "Let's finish this like it started. Together!" scene. Harry saw no way out and was trying to kill Voldemort. He figured, hey, if I can't kill Voldemort any other way, maybe we will get smushed. And then they apparated. Inside Hogwarts. *flail* But nonetheless. I am now not as distraught about that bit as I was when I first saw it.
• I wanted to hear Harry tell Voldemort that he was going to die. and that he was willing to die to protect the people at Hogwarts so now THEY were protected. I wanted to hear Harry call him Tom more than the once. I think without having Voldemort's own curse backfire, I think we lose the power of Voldemort being his own downfall and we lose Harry keeping his innocence. The weird disentegrating made death seem less real and final. Basically, I just didn’t like that whole final battle much. It was okay but...not great.
• When did Voldemort and Bellatrix turn into vampires that explode into dust? The thing I loved about the fact that their bodies – especially Voldemort’s – remained in the books was that in the end, he was nothing more than a man.
• I didn’t like the Nagini’s death either. That whole scene was just iffy to me. The bit with Ron and Hermione trying to kill her, and the Neville coming up with the sword and she again turned to dust. I would have loved to see her headless body hit the ground.
• Where was the cloak? It’s called Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows but we only see the cloak once, and it’s totally brushed over! Bah.
• Harry, why you know fix your wand? And is it just me...or would the Elder Wand not break that easily?
• Old Harry looks like John Green. Just saying.

...okay, that was pretty damned long.

Overall, I liked the movie. It was pretty good. The first part is still better, and Half-Blood Prince is still my favourite (I think), but it was pretty good.

Post Leaky Depression

I am feeling so lost in this Muggle world. Well, not lost per-se. But...out of place, maybe. It's hard to readjust back to the Muggle world when I was surrounded by wizards for five amazing days. Five days that felt like an eternity. I've only experienced anything close to this once and that was YouthWrite 2007, but this is worse. This was more at home than I've ever felt. I was at Hogwarts, with my friends, with wizards. It was how it was meant to be. Sharing our passion together.

It's so weird being back, to having those same wizards being usernames again. I don't know how to explain it, but I have somehow seperated their usernames from their beings, so to only be able to interact with them via username now is...unsettling, almost.

I have been listening to "The Prince's Tale" on repeat pretty much since I got home. Also, "When the Lights Go Out" because it was basically the theme of LeakyCon.

God I miss you guys.

This Night Will Never End: LeakyCon Day 5

Eileen and Audrey left before 7 am, and I got up with them. I showered, packed, and went down to breakfast, which was delicious. There was sausages, eggs, potatoes, bread, bagels, bacon, fresh fruit (which was probably the best after a week of fast food). I found Michelle, and later Arletta, Victoria, Amanda and Amy found us. We ate, I was really quiet from exhaustion and sadness. I wandered around later with Katie and got people to sign my yearbook. I met the Earls and Lily Zalon. Andrew's inscription in my book made me cry, and I still can't believe he wrote it. It just...oh my god means so much to me, I can't even believe it. I honestly think that once of the best things about LeakyCon was meeting him. I mean, meeting John would have been amazing, but meeting Andrew is honestly a bigger deal, now that I think about it. He is such an inspiration to me, and I can now consider him my friend. ...writing that boggles my mind a bit.

Possibly my favourite picture from the Con. Two of my favourite people. <3

I left right after the Closing Ceremonies. Starkid performed "Days of Summer" (which, in combination with leaving and Andrew's inscription, made me cry.) and "Get Back to Hogwarts" (which I could barely sing through my tears.) Leaving is one of the hardest things I've ever had to do.

Heather drove me and two random girls we found in the lobby to the airport. It was so hard to say goodbye to her.

Wizard Party Forever: LeakyCon Day 4

Leaky Con Day 4

Saturday, July 16, 2011

Eillen, Holly and I woke up early to get in line for the Starkid panel. We ended up seeing Warlock's Hairy Heart as well which was...okay. They did only have one rehearsal, so I am forgiving, and the music was gorgeous. But I didn't really enjoy it that much.

When the Starkids came on...the place errupted. My ears hurt after. They sang songs from AVPM and AVPS and it was so amazing. I enjoyed it way more than I expected. I got a lot of footage, and a group pic which was meh. But I can't believe how amazing it was to see Darren perform live. I mean meeting him was fantastic, but seeing him perform...woooooow.

I stayed for the actors panel as well, which was okay. It got a little repetitive, especially with the kids, but it was still really cool. Will, Rohan and ...Arthur? I think. Well anyway, James Sirius, young Sirius and Albus Severus were definitely the most entertaining. Al had never read the books, except the epilogue - gasp! Hugo was so shy it was adorable! (And later at the ball, he was totally the opposite, running around on stage high fiving everyone). Evanna, Chris and Scarlette were the best part, though. Evanna apparently ships Dumbledore/Luna (you just need a time turner!) and Chris ships Wood/Percy - which I now need to read because it makes so much sense. I didn't stay to get pics, which I wish I would have. I went to get in line to get autographs, and waited over an hour but the line was too long so I left. We went for supper at Tchou Chou instead (and by we, I mean Room 1725 + Kaci), which was pretty and tasty, but slow.

The ball. Wow, the ball. It was soooooooo much fun. I danced with Room 1725, Sara, Kelly, Taekia, Elizabeth, Charles, Kate, Karen, Amy, Michelle, Lauren, Delana...so many people. I don't even know how to record what happened. Paul, Alex and Whompy DJ'd. Charles is a dancing fiend. Sara was so much fun. Total Eclipse of the Heart was played 3 times. THREE. We made Melissa cry. We sang "WE ARE WIZARDS WE'LL PARTY FOREVER THIS NIGHT WILL NEVER END" in a chorus over and over at the end. Holly had to leave. D: The baby Potter actors danced in the crowd for a while, and then on stage once Evanna and Scarlette appeared. I high-fived Christian again. I met Joella. All the people who made Leaky happen got on stage for Total Eclipse of the Heart and danced. After the first, Alex xcreamed "ARE YOU READ FOR LEAKYCON TO BE OVER?" the answer was obvious. So they played it again. After the second, everyone started to chant "Esther" over and over. So a tearful Melissa started to play once of Alex's solo songs in her honor. Which was followed by Total Eclipse of the Heart again.

Hey, Stormtrooper. Wrong fandom. :P

And that was the end of the ball. Not that ayone left. We all just hung out in the Great Hall until we were kicked out. 1725 found an emotional Andrew and we chatted before going back to the hotel room. We stayed up and talked until 3-ish. I don't remember what about, but I know that none of us wanted the night to end, because that would mean it was the end.

Lookit all of this beauty.

LineCon: LeakyCon Day 3

LeakyCon Day 3

Friday, July 15

I woke up early so that I could go and get in line for the Maureen/John/Hank signing but...John had to leave the Con because he was sick. Poor guy, hope he's doing better now. I was really disappointed, but I got to meet MJ! And Hank again! And The Katherine! (who is gorgeous, oh my goodness!) I really wish I had gone and talked to him the day before.

After their signing I waited for the Stephanie Perkins/Cheryl Klein signing - which was much shorter and more personal. Steph knew who I was from Twitter! She is so nice and just the epitome of cool. I don't think I have ever met anyone who embodies "cool" more than she does.

Seriously. Epitome of cool.

I volunteered at merch after that and have since decided that Kelly and Sarah Danver are the best. They're so much fun! I may have stalked the wizard rock table from afar. I went and talked to Paul DeGeorge (who knew me from emails!!) - we had a great conversation. I got pictures with both Paul and Joe, and with most of the Ministry boys (Mark wasn't around).

I love these two girls so much. <3

The Leaky staff invited us to meet Starkid and Evanna! AH! It was the best. And there was still free food! It wasn't much, but there was some! I met Joey, Joe Walker, Darren and Evanna and got pictures with them. I didn't get any autographs, but pictures are better. Poor Darren looks so sleepy, but Evanna was so friendly! I talked to her about the HPA and thanked her and she is just so lovely.

Lookit who I met!

 

We had an HPA staff photo after that, which included gifts for senior staff from the rest of us (t-shirts that we had all signed) and party crackers for everyone. Paul DeGeorge missed the big group photo, but some of us were still around so we offered to take a picture with him anyway.

We went to Moe's for dinner after that, which was tasty, but...I missed Hank and Gred and Forge play because of it. :(

I got pictures with the rest of the wrockers at the wizard rock show. I saw Draco and the Malfoys, Whompy, some of Tonks and the Aurors and Harry and the Potters. Draco and the Malfoys and Tonks and the Aurors were both acoustic. I never thought I could wrock that hard to an acoustic set. Whompy and Harry and the Potters were....beyond amazing. I danced with Julian wowww it was just amazing. Evanna came out and danced for I Believe in Nargles, and then she played bass for Harry and the Potters. Holly balls, Harry and the Potters are brilliant live. SO MUCH FUN.

A lot of the HPA staff were....tipsy....and it was so funny. There was a lot of emotion and cheering and hugs after the concert. (WE'RE IN A CIRCLE - WHOOOOO!) We all group hugged Andrew, who later told Zack that he was beautiful. Hahaha. And then Zack hugged me, which is honestly one of my favourite moments of the con because Zack and I had barely spoken before that. (And he's a really fantastic hugger.)

I talked to Christian again and he totally remembered me! :D

We stayed up talking and giggling for half of the night because half of the room was a wee bit tipsy. XD There were a lot of sexual jokes made about a certain someone we met that night, who is so incredibly adorable. <3

Just Looking For Trouble: LeakyCon Day 2

Leaky Con: Day 2

July 14, 2011

Most of the HPA staff woke up super early (read: 6:00) to go and help the Leaky staff sort through the kerfuffle that was the previous day. We got our HPA tshirts (so beautiful, I'm in love with them), and set to work sorting through badges, registering people, giving out movie tickets. It was a long, but none-the-less, fun, morning.

I went to the Imagine Better! press conference as well to tweet, but I failed more than I tweeted on that respect.

Highlight number one of the day: I met Mike Lombardo. Whereas the day before I had been too shy to go and say "hi" to John Green, I made myself go and talk to Mike. He was just standing there, I was standing in line, so I went to say hi. I got a picture and asked him about The Alchemist, which he would later go and get from the car for me. While I waited for that, I would also meet Hayley G Hoover and manage not to fangirl her. Well, I really just didn't talk to her at all until she said something because I didn't know what to say. Then we talked about Harry Potter, and it was glorious. I also somehow managed NOT to fangirl Mike. I really don't know how that happened. (He is a lot taller in person that I thought!)

Me and Mike! He's so nice! (And that's an Alex Carpenter photo bomb in the background.

My editing doesn't really let you see that though.)

We went and got burritos at Kedobo, which was DELICIOUS. Victoria had her first burrito ever! My volunteer hours kind of failed today but I MET HANK GREEN. I was at the HPA booth, and he was at the DFTBA booth, so I went over and talked to him a bit. (It was awkward. Even with Katie there.) I then purchased Ellen Hardcastle, which he asked to sign. It was the first one he had signed! Ever! AH! I didn't get a picture though. Duh, stoopid.

I saw John again. Froze again. I really wish I had gone to talk to him when he was at the DFTBA booth because he left that night. (sick. Poor guy.)

The LeakyMug was wonderful. My first live podcasting experience. I went in by myself, but ended up sitting next to Ravenclaw Dancer for Twitter :O Jessica also showed up, and later Heather. So it was quite fantastic. It was so cool seeing the Podcasters doing their thing - it was like my high school dreams had come true. XD

Seeing Christian play....oh man. He was so good. It was so amazing to finally see him live. And I got to meet him! And I think he knew me! He seemed to, anyway. He is SO NICE. He was so excited to sign my copy of The Alchemist - apparently it was both his and Mike's first? I can still hardly believe how genuienly nice he is. I saw him a few different times through the con, and he was so nice every time.

CHRISTIAN! Gah! He is so nice and talented and I just love him.

I saw Mikey again after and we chatted/fangirled about Christian. I never did see Sarah, but I met Joella later!

After that it was DH.2. Katie T, Heather, Victoria, Holly, Audrey, Eileen and I went over to the theatre together. Katie wasn't in our theatre, but Amy and her daughters were. It was good. There were of course things I didn't like about it, but seeing it in a room full of people who love Harry Potter as much as I do was amazing. We all cheered and cried together. I don't even know how to put it into words, but it was one of the most amazing experiences I've ever had.

Before the tears started. We would not have looked this good other wise.

We went to the Hard Rock Cafe for supper, even though it was like...9. That was an interesting experience. The servers kept coming up to us and talking about Potter, because we were decked out in our robes and such.

Wizard Rock. I can't even describe. I didn't really start to dance until JFF came out, but I sang along to Lauren's set (who I chatted with earlier and she is just so genuienly nice!). I found Holly and the rest of 1725 and we went nuts. KRUM LIVE! I have been wanting to see that live for EVER and I finally did. Ministry of Magic played next and wowwwww. I was dancing/singing so hard that I was breathless at points. I just can't even.

And then...The Remus Lupins. Their last show ever was also my first of theirs. They are so amazing live! Alex and Tyler can rock SO HARD. I think Looking for Trouble went on for about 15 minutes. I also bought a Team Lupin shirt (that I have been basically living in when I'm not at work since I got back) and wore it. It's a bit big, but sooo comfy. Evanna came out at the end of The Ballad of Neville and Luna and danced (oh! I walked into to the Great Hall with her earlier! Ah!). At the end of the set podcasters, wrockers, Starkids...basically all of the famous fandom people came out and sang. After the set we all chanted "One more song!" until Alex came out and played Alone on Valentine's Day accoustically. God it was amazing!

Gotta Get Back to Hogwarts! LeakyCon Day 1

I admit, I have been putting off this post since I got home from LeakyCon. Probably because once I type this up, it will really mean that LeakyCon is over. But...here goes. I am going to be posting each day in a separate post so as to not overwhelm. I will probably also post a "favourite moments" blog with moments in list form.

LeakyCon was easily by far the best five days of my life. And that includes YouthWrite. YouthWrite doesn't even compare to the awesome that was LeakyCon 2011. Yes, YouthWrite saved me in a lot of ways but...this was freaking Hogwarts.

Leaky Con: Day 1

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

I didn't sleep much. Four and a half hours, I think? I thought it was awful at the time. Really, I was just setting the norm for LeakyCon. I didn't mind, though, because I was just so freaking excited. And thus started my day of travel. I was at the airport at 4 am MST, I landed in Orlando at 4 PM EST. I met wizards a long the way - a group of three heading to LeakyCon in Edmonton (who, incidentally, I flew home with too.) and then a girl and her mom in Chicago, who I sat with on the plane. I wish I remembered her name so that I could find her on the interwebs. ANYWAY.

I got to the Orlando Airport (FREAKING HUGE OH MY GOD) and I'm sure I would've gotten lost if it hadn't been for my Chicago friend and her mom. I waited for Heather and Audrey, who couldn't find where I was. (The airport was HUGE after all) My god it was hot there. I have honestly never experienced that kind of heat. (Strange enough, I miss the Orlando weather now that I'm home.)

The first time I saw Hogwarts on the way to Universal was...amazing. I screamed. Actually. Like...it was Hogwarts. In real life. Not on TV, or in my imagination or in pictures. IN REAL LIFE. And then we got to the hotel. HOGWARTS WAS OUTSIDE OUR WINDOW. AGHADF. It was the best ever.

I met Eileen then. She came up to see us. It's so weird thinking that I'd barely spoken to her, and now I love her SO much. Seriously. Audrey, Eileen and I went down to the Lobby so that Audrey and I could register. We managed to find a lull in both the registration line AND the conflict resolution lines. Somehow. Apparently the lines had been ridiculous earlier, but we didn't have to wait at all. I feel very lucky hearing that people had to wait like, 5 hours. O_O

We went to the Opening Ceremonies in the Great Hall after that. The Great Hall was...beautiful. Breath taking. They had projections everywhere. The ceiling had the sky projected on it so that it echoed the sky outside (that was my favourite part, by far), the sides had the movie posters projected onto it, and clips from the movies (I don't remember if they were projected at the Opening Ceremonies or not, but it was the rest of the week). And the stage! It looked like Hogwarts. There were banners and crests and torches and suits of armour. All on flats painted to look like stone. It was beautiful.

And then there were the ceremonies themselves. It was basically a history of the fandom and it was amazing. Harry and the Potters played (my first live wizard rock experience! And it was "The Weapon" - well...they played another song too, I think, but I don't remember what it was.), Hank Green played, Potter Puppet Pals came out, someone got proposed to (agh so romantic.). There were interviews from key people in the fandom. It was beautiful. The theme of the week was "Hogwarts Graduating Class of 2011" and LeakyCon was our graduation shindig. Amazing, right?

We all trouped to the WWoHP after that. Eileen and I found Taekia, Jennifer, Kelly, Sarah and Elizabeth (Audrey  didn't get tickets for Open at the Close) and we went with them. We sang and laughed and oh my goodness just the walk was beautiful. So much vegetation and nature - who knew so much loveliness could be in the middle of a metropolis?

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is at the very back of Universal, so we had to walk through everything to get there. But oh my god it was worth it. When I first saw Hogsmeade, I stopped dead. Literally, stopped dead. It was like my dreams had fallen into being. It was the absolutely most amazing thing. And then we kept going. And there was the Hogwarts Express. And Honeydukes. And Ollivanders. And Dervish and Banges. And Zonko's. And Hogwarts. Hogwarts castle was right freaking in front of me.

Photo courtesy of Delana

Eileen and I wandered - the others had gone to ride on other stuff throughout the park - looking at shops and things. We ran into Katie Twyman, who then joined us because she lost Catitude. (That sounds so weird.) HolycrapIlovethatgirlsomuch. We had the most amazing time going through the shops. Heather found us outside of Honeydukes and we decided it was time for Butterbeer. They had three different kinds - frozen, cold and hot. I tried frozen first and holycrapitwassogood. Tasted like a creamcicle. Mmmm. Later I tried the cold one, and it was decent, but not nearly as good as the frozen one. I also had a sip of Pumpkin Juice, which tastes a bit like apple cider. I think I probably would have even liked it if I had had a whole one to myself. (I have been drinking out of nothing but my Butterbeer cup since I got back.)

We saw Andrew Sims by the Hogwarts Express. I think the look of surprise and fangirly-ness scared him. XD

We ran into a bunch of HPA Staffers and got a whole HPA table outside of the Three Broomsticks with Karen, Kate, Andrew and Lauren. I remember Karen saying "Okay, who is who?" And I went "Jodi!" immediately. The look on Andrew's face when he realized who I was will stay with me for a while. He was so shocked and happy. He was all "Jodi? Jodi Butler?" and then came and hugged me. It was such an amazing moment in my life. And then Heather, Katie and I spotted David Levithan. We, of course, got a picture.

See? Proof!

A bunch of us went to the Forbidden Journey next. Or, we tried to. We kept getting sidetracked along the way. Or rather, Andrew did. He introduced Katie to Evanna Lynch, who was gearing up to do a Pottercast. I met Frak (he is so awesome! So so nice!). When we finally made it to The Forbidden Journey...oh my goodness it was so cool inside. Legit Hogwarts. Dumbledore's office, the unicorn portrait Harry and Ginny kiss in front of, the hourglasses with house points, the Gryffindor common room, a whole room full of portraits, the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom.

Sherbot Lemon didn't work. :(

And then the ride. We were IN HOGWARTS. I don't remember a lot of it in detail, just being completely amazed. We flew, flipped upside own, swung through the Forbidden Forrest (where spiders tried to get us. Shudder.) Water sprayed us in the fast. We flew through Hogwarts and the grounds with Harry as our guide, being chased by the Horntail (who followed us into the castle and tore bits of the roof apart and then proceeded to nearly cook us.), evading the Whomping Willow. I left the ride breathless, laughing and wanting more. I bought some stuff from the shop - a Hogwarts picture frame and a Fawkes keychain. I nearly bought a picture frame that was Sirius' mugshot. I kind of wish I had, to be honest. Because it's Sirius.

Heather and I went on The Flight of the Hippogriff, which was actually really good. I didn't get sick or anything! To get there, you walked through bits of the Forrest, not heeding Dumbledore or Hagrid as they told you not to go further, and then walked past the Ford Anglia and Hagrid's Hut. It started out in Hagrid's hut and then we flew around, up past Hogwarts (we had an AMAZING view) and then zoomed around back down to the hut. It was awesome.

We went into the other ride, but didn't go on it. There was a Goblet of Fire (Eileen, Heather and I all put our names in the Goblet), Triwizard Cup lots of Triwizard stuff.

I support a Hogwarts victory. But seriously, Diggory FTW!

We ate at The Three Broomsticks (free fooood!) and went into The Hogs Head. We also tried some Florean Fortescue icecream - peanut butter and strawberry, I think? I don't remember for sure. It was tasty, but I didn't eat all of it. I hadn't eaten all day and just to have the little bit of food I had from The Three Broomsticks was enough. It was that "so-hungry-you-feel-sick" thing.

I met Mikey in front of Hogwarts. Wow. I never thought I would be able to say that. But yeah, we met for the first time in front of Hogwarts. Epic? Epic.

We stayed until the very bitter end and grabbed another Butterbeer on the way out. Not gonna lie, I just wanted the cup. We took a water taxi back to the hotel, which I was too worn out, yet excited at the same time, to enjoy. We got back to the hotel, all exhausted, with Audrey already asleep. We basically just fell into bed without much thought of hygiene or anything of that sort.

LeakyCon

...in list form.

(I am going to be putting up more detailed posts in a while, but this is what I'm doing for now.)

• Melting in the heat at the Orlando airport while waiting for Heather and Audrey to find where I was. They got lost. XD
• Screaming when I first saw Hogwarts
• Being able to see Hogwarts outside of our hotel room window
• Meeting room 1725 for the first time <3
• Victoria's first burrito ever
• IT'S A CIRCLE PARTY, WHOOOO!
• Meeting Andrew Slack and having him be so shocked, amazed, and pleased to see me
• Trying to seduce Sirius Black with Katie and failing
• Walking into Hogsmeade and seeing the Hogwarts Express for the first time. Butterflies.
• Nearly running right into Andrew Sims. Having a fangirly expression on my face and scaring him.
• Drinking frozen Butterbeer for the first time
• The Forbidden Journey with Karen, Lauren and Andrew. Oh my god. I got to ride a broom, play Quidditch, be chased by a dragon. Scream a lot haha.
• Meeting Frak before the live Pottercast, seeing Evanna Lynch and not freaking.
• Seeing John Green for the first time and being unable to move
• Seeing John Green for the second time and being unable to move
• Having Hank Green ask if he could sign my copy of Ellen Hardcastle. And being the first one to ever get a signed copy of that album
• Meeting Mike Lombardo
• Seeing Christian play as Oliver Boyd and the Remembralls for the first time. Meeting him.
• Meeting Stephanie Perkins and having her recognize me from Twitter
• Meeting Paul DeGeorge and having him know me from the HPA
• First wizard rock experience ever
• Seeing someone get proposed to in the Great Hall during the Opening Ceremonies
• Daily dose of burrito
• "We are wizard's, we'll party forever, this night will never end."
• Andrew saying that I inspired him
• Krum live
• Dancing/screaming with Julian to Harry and the Potters
• Meeting Evanna Lynch, talking to her about the HPA
• Meeting Darren Criss
• Talking to Joe Walker about his "Boba Fett" badge
• flying to Orlando with wizards unintentionally
• group hugging Andrew after wizard rock
• Meeting so many wrockers
• Talking to Andrew, and then being surprise hugged by Zack
• Refusing the leave the Great Hall after the ball
• Total Eclipse of the Heart. Three times.
• "I believe I can fly!" with Kelly and Sarah
• HPA Merch table
• LeakyCountry. It will be in Nerdfighteria.
• The crazy that was giving out tickets for the film
• Seeing DH.2 with people as crazy as I am. Crying, laughing and cheering together.
• Ambushing David Levithan while he was trying to get Butterbeer, begging for a photo.
• Talking to Kate when I saw Darren Criss IRL for the first time and freezing mid-sentence
• HPA staff photo
• flying into the Edmonton airport and being shocked by the fields and all of the open space
• Being frozen once I got to Edmonton because I wasn't used to this "cool" of weather

TWELVE

There are twelve days until LeakyCon. Twelve! Why twelve? Why can't it be TWO? or ONE? Or, even better, how about NONE? I'm impatient. Can you tell?

Leaky is doing this thing right now called "Fandom Memories" - it's like a virtual scrap book from across the fandom, people talking about their Harry Potter experiences. So, I thought this was as good of time as any to tell my Harry Potter exeperience.

I don't remember when exactly I got into Harry Potter. I remember that I was very adament not to like it - I don't remember why though. I had the opportunity to win all of the books in a contest (1 and 2, I think, because I was about 8) and I scoffed at it because they were books, obviously there were better prizes than that. (Which is funny, because I liked to read, but I hadn't become obsessed with it yet. It was just something that we did during library class at school.) So, I picked a set of stamp markers, which I abandoned within a week or two and let them dry up.

It wasn't until later, possibly even later that same summer, the time lines are kind of fuzzy for me, that I actually realized how fantastic the books were. I was camping with my best friend, Jenni, who brought her copies of Philosopher's Stone and Chamber of Secrets with her. She read me one passage from Chamber of Secrets and that was it - I was hooked.

I don't remember how I got the first two books, but I know I got the third at the Scholastic bookfair in my school library. I also got the fourth from the bookfair - I spent a lot of money on books that year. I remember the librarian being shocked at how much I spent, and scolding me, even though I wasn't the one who dropped $30.00 for Goblet of Fire - it was my grandma. I had run out of money after I saw it, and I begged her to get it for me, which of course she did. My grandma had a hard time saying no to us grandkids.

The first book I remember being really excited about is Order of the Phoenix. I counted down the days and my brother and I drove into the nearest town first thing the morning of the release to buy the book from Superstore. I grew up about half an hour from the nearest city, so it was a bit later in the day going there than I wanted. But once I did get it, I spent the rest of the day reading.

By the time the Prisoner of Azkaban was slated to be released on film in 2004, I was in the online fandom. I was checking Mugglenet daily, I frequented an EZBoards forum called Expecto Patronum, which was a gathering place for fans to meet, theorize, and basically fangirl. I created "siggies" for people that were absolutely atrocious (I just tried to find an example, but I have since deleted all of them from my ancient photobucket account) and oogled the actors and played random "getting to know you" games. It was fantastic, and my first dose of the fandom. Though, at the time, I didn't really realized that it was any different than any of my other online ventures. (I had a lot of them at that point.)

I was fully immersed in the theorizing and disecting by the time Half-Blood Prince was released. I counted down the days on Mugglenet, devoured every news article they posted, spent hours perusing the web, looking for some hint, any hint to the title, release date, etc. I begged my parents to let me order it online (because I wasn't aware of any bookstores in the city I lived outside of and I thought I would get it that day. Oh, naivety.) even though I would be at 4-H camp when it was released. I was sick for most of the camp, so I didn't spend much time outside, and I went home early. (I admit, part of the "sick" was homesickness and just plain not wanting to be there.) Before I went home early, though, I spent most of the day inside, and one of the councillors, learning how big of a Potterhead I was, offered to let me read Half-Blood Prince for a while. I remember shaking when I devoured the cover and opened it. I still remember how excited I was when I read "The Other Minister" - the sense of adventure. Man, I miss that. When I got home, I read it all in one go, most of it in the living room. When I got to the end, I yelled a lot at the book. So much so that my dad suggested I just stop reading. Now I think it was probably in jest, but then I took it seriously and told him that he was insane before running up to my room so that I could be alone when the inevitable would happen.

When Goblet of Fire was released to film, I was so excited. It was the first time I ever went to the opening night of any movie. There were people dressed in robes (I wasn't one of them) and the fans at the front of the line cheered when they turned the lights on in the theatre (the theatre was in a mall), when they opened the gates, when the previews started to roll, when the opening title appeared, and when the credits rolled at the end. I was beyond annoyed with them, and less than impressed with the movie. I'll be honest - I hated it. I hated what they did with the Triwizard tournament, I hated that John Williams didn't do the score, I hated Barty Crouch Jr, I hated that Voldemort didn't have slits for nostrils or red cat eyes, I hated that Harry's eyes weren't green (which they hadn't been from the first film, but I never noticed that)...I just hated it. By the time we reached my sister's truck, I was ranting and vowing that I would never buy the soundtrack. I took it personally that John Williams didn't do the score again. I took it personally that they changed, and in my opinion, butchered the maze (one of my favourite parts of the movie). It's still my least favourite of the movies, I think, (well, except for Chamber of Secrets, but that's just because of my fear of snakes and spiders. Shudder.) but it has definitely grown on me since then.

During the lead up to Deathly Hallows I continued to frequent Mugglenet daily, I began to go to The Leaky Cauldron just as often, and I think it was around then that I started to listen to Mugglecast and Pottercast. By this time, I was writing fanfiction like crazy - I think I started writing fic around 2004 - and I was a huge Drarry shipper. And a Snaco shipper. And a Drarco shipper. Basically, if it had Draco, I shipped it. I was (and still am, a bit) very much in love with Mr. Tom Felton (though I just thought it was Draco). I was, once again, at summer camp when DH was released - though this time, it was YouthWrite - the writing camp that changed my life about as much as Potter did. I was around people who were just as excited about DH being released as I was - we wrote fanfic, threw theories around, read excerpts from other books (and substituted "wang" for "wand" - which was the first time I had heard anything like that, so I died laughing.), talked about stealing into Calgary to find a bookstore. It was agony waiting to get home so I could read it. In one hand, I didn't want to leave the heaven I had found in YouthWrite, in the other, Harry Potter was waiting for me. I read it all in one go, of course. I mean, what fan didn't, really? I had learned my lesson from HBP - I read it all in my room. Which is good, because I hate crying in front of my parents, and I cried a lot.

I wasn't very impressed with Deathly Hallows at first. It didn't meet my expectations. I didn't read it again until, I think, January 2008. I was much more impressed the second time around. Actually, I loved it.

I went and saw Order of the Phoenix with Jenni - the one who had introduced me to Potter in the first place. It wasn't the opening night this time, but the theatre was still quite full. I cried silently - though perhaps not quite as stealthily as I had thought - when Sirius went through the veil.

It was winter 2007 that I first discovered wizard rock. I had heard of Harry and the Potters before, but I wasn't really enthusiastic about them. But then my friend Carly - from YouthWrite - introduced me to Ministry of Magic, which led me to the Whomping Willows, the Remus Lupins and the Moaning Myrtles. It's all gone uphill from there.

In April 2009 I discovered the HPA through Pottercast when they were talking about Accio Books! I investigated, and joined the Ning. I didn't participate in Accio! but I did frequent the Ning quite often for a while. I also discovered Hank and John Green at this time, through Pottercast again. I began watching their videos, and fell in love. In August I sent in my application to be part of staff, though I didn't get accepted until February 2010.

I was going into my second year of college when Half-Blood Prince came out. I, once again, was at YouthWrite when it came out, so the day after YouthWrite, I drove up to Edmonton with my brother, sister and Kayla (whom I had met the previous year in college and is basically my twin) for my birthday party, which included dinner at the Old Spaghetti Factor, and Harry Potter. My friends and I (which also included Elise, and my friend Sarah), still on high from YouthWrite, and excited about the movie, sang The Mysterious Ticking Noise. But as soon as the lights dimmed, I was all business. I was also teary from the opening credits. Nicholas Hooper's score is so wonderful and haunting, I still get teary. Kayla and I were outright sobbing by the end of the film. But even through puffy, red eyes and tear-stained cheeks, I still ranted about the faults of the movie as we left the theatre. I went and saw the film again, with my friends Sophie, Chris and Colleen, again up in Edmonton, in the IMAX theatre. Embarassingly enough, my phone went off at the beginning of the movie - it was the Harry Potter theme too. Too bad it hadn't gone off at the right time. But once again, by the end, I was sobbing. I saw the movie four times in total, and it definitely got more appealing to me as it went.

It was this summer that I got my wand from Allivan's, my Hufflepuff tie and my Hufflepuff scarf. I also joined MyLeaky, which is where I first started to meet fandom people.

I moved to Edmonton at the end of that summer for school, and one of my new friends, who shared my love for Potter and also worked at Rogers Video, scored me a Half-Blood Prince DVD release poster, that is still currently hanging up in my house. I heard about Wrockstock for the first time that fall, and decided that I needed to go, in edition to LeakyCon 2011. I met some more amazing people through the Wrockstock forums, and even though I didn't get to go to Wrockstock, I met some amazing people through it. I was absolutely crushed when I heard that the Mudbloods retired, after Wrockstock, as they had become one of my favourite wrock bands. I was also crushed when, a month or so later, Christian of Oliver Boyd and the Remembralls announced that he was going to be retiring from wrock after Bare Bones. (Luckily, he did two Bare Bones albums with hints at another album full of remastered tracks.)

In February 2010 I got accepted to be on the HPA Staff, and it's really since then that I fell deeper into the fandom. Before then I knew people and used Twitter to talk to them, but I didn't really feel like part of anything. The HPA really gave me that, and I've met some of the most amazing people ever.

Last winter, Deathly Hallows Part 1 was released. I was neck-high in my first show ever - A Chorus of Disapproval - so I didn't get to go and see it until after the show was closed in December. The wait...well, it sucked. But it was worth it. I did a review on here, so I'm not going to go into details about what I loved and what I hated. But it really sucked seeing the rest of the fandom go see it, when I couldn't.

And now, we're up to date. Mostly. I'm sure I've forgotten loads of things - it's hard not to when the journey is so long. I didn't talk about Beedle the Bard, I realized, which I yearned for, but didn't buy myself. Good thing too, because I got it for Christmas. I did buy Harry: A History, though, which I loved and is amazing. I only recently purchased Fantastic Beats and Where to Find Them and Quidditch Through the Ages - though I've read them loads of times thanks to the library at my old school. I wish I had the original editions, but ah well.

I could end this post with something saying about how it's all ending, but I don't believe it is. Not with Pottermore and wizard rock and the HPA and conferences. Just because the movies are ending, doesn't mean that we have to let anything end. Look at Star Wars. It's still kicking and there haven't been any movies since 2005. (I don't count the Clone Wars movie. It was AWFUL.) Sure, it still has the TV show, but we have other stuff too. So, this isn't the end. It's just another fantastic place mark in our fandom.

"I'm not going home. Not really."

I just finished watching Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. I haven't watched it for quite a while (well, more recently than the others, I suppose. But it feels like forever) and the whole time I was giggling at how young everyone looks. Kayla and I kept cracking AVPM jokes (ie. when Quirrel came on..."and Jane Austen novels!" etc etc) and just generally giggling the whole movie.

It wasn't until the end of the movie, when Harry says, "I'm not going home. Not really." that I realized something, though. I realized that Harry Potter - the movies especially, I think - has been made so much more to me by the fandom. Without the fandom, I'm not sure I'd be as crazy about it as I am. Sure, I'd still be obsessed. Obviously. But not as much. I wouldn't eat, live and breath Potter, I don't think. When Harry said those words, I really felt them on a different level than I had. Maybe it's because Leaky Con is so close, but it feels like I am about to go home. I am about to go and meet some of my favourite people in this entire universe IRL for the first time. It just hit me so hard that I had to just sit on my couch and stare at the tv for a while after the credits started rolling. The fandom is my home. I've been thinking for years that Hogwarts is, that if I could find a Hogwarts I could really be home. But I think I've realized that I have that in the fandom. I mean, I've really found my niche in theatre, but the Harry Potter fandom is still my home.

Fandom Memories: The HP Fan Community

I don't know if any of you are subscribed the LeakyCon YouTube channel or not, but they've been doing interactive-type videos where they choose a topic and their subscribers send in responses, and this time, it's about the fan community itself. You can watch the video here with Mr. Andrew Sims, but in the mean time, this is my story of how I got involved with the fandom.

I first got into the Harry Potter books on summer vacation around the third grade, I think. My best friend at the time and I were camping with my parents, and she brought the first two books with her. She read me a passage from Chamber of Secrets, and I was instantly hooked. I don't remember when I bought the first book, but I do remember buying the fourth in fifth or sixth grade at a book fair. I think that was probably when the obsession really started, because it's the first memory of me buying something Potter related. After that, I remember lots of Harry Potter stuff - I remember begging my parents to let me get a Potter bookmark drawn by Mary Grandpre, and standing in line to one of the movies, wishing more than anything that Potter was real. I remember going into town with my brother to buy Order of the Pheonix and sitting in the house all day to read it. I remember checking MuggleNet multiple times a day to see any news about when Half-Blood Prince would get released. I remember the first time I heard of Harry and the Potters. I remember listening to Mugglecast episodes, and then adding Pottercast to my podcasts. That's when I started to go to Leaky more than Mugglenet. Pottercast is also where I heard about Nerdfighteria for the first time. I remember being introduced to the Ministry of Magic by my friend Carly in December 2007 and becoming instantly obsessed with wrock. I remember signing up to be part of the Harry Potter Alliance, which was ultimately how I mostly became part of the community.

Before that, I had wanted to be part of the community so badly, but I didn't know how. I joined MyLeaky, and met some of my first Potter friends there. I got to know them over Twitter, which I signed up for because of Tom Felton and Matt Lewis, and from them I met Kenz and Slyvie and Joella, which led me to our brief collaboration channel on YouTube, Back4theFight. It was brief, but through it I met and became friends with Kenz, Sylvie, Joella, Mickey, Maddie and Sarah. This was December 2009, and it was the first time I could say I actually had friends in the fandom.

From there, I got more active with the HPA, and as I said, started to make friends on the HPA Ning. My activity on the Ning was sporadic, though, so I didn't really meet any other people until I became a staffer at the HPA, which instantly introduced me to so many more amazing people. I had wanted to be a staffer since the summer of 2009, and applied then, though I didn't actually get "hired" until February 2010. I felt may way around the HPA, and started to get to know the other staffers. I especially met a lot of people during 2010's Accio Books, when I was one of the Prefects for Hufflepuff House, and it's all grown from there.

The people at Leaky want us to have short snippets about how we got involved with the community, but I don't think I could, my journey into the fandom was so long. So, this isn't an actual submission, but this is my fandom story. I can't wait for LeakyCon when I get to meet so many of my friends, and hopefully meet new ones. :D 129 Days.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 [Review]

Last week I did a review of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 on my YouTube channel, but because it's YouTube and long videos get boring, I couldn't really say everything I wanted to say. SO, here we go - my in-depth review of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1. (This WILL contain spoilers if you haven't seen it.)

Right from the beginning from the film, I was emotional, which has only happened for me with Half-Blood Prince, where I started to tear up as soon as the score came up and the title appeared (though I credit that to Nicholas Hooper's genius). This time, it was Hermione who did it for me. Emma Watson was so brilliant in this film, it blew me away. I haven't been overly astounded by Emma before this first scene with her obliviating her parents, but this time, as soon as I saw Hermione in her bedroom, with that look on her face, chills ran up and down my spine, tears were in my eyes, and I even gasped. I don't gasp in films that often. She got the emotion so perfect and the way the David Yates made her disappear from the photos....merlin, it was heartbreaking. And then when she obliviated the Death Eater in the Muggle coffee shop...the way her hand shook. I just...wow. The whole thing was just amazing, and I can honestly say it was one of my favourite sequences in the films, right next to the fish story that Slughorn had in HBP.

I thought the acting in this film in general was just so good. Emma really stood out to me this time, but the others were just as good - Draco, for instance, in the first Malfoy Manor scene. The look on his face when he Voldemort kills Charity Burbage made me feel EXACTLY what he was feeling. (I loved that scene in general, by the way. The room was exactly how I pictured it, though I didn't expect Thicknese to be there, but that's not a biggie. My only problem with it was that Voldemort talked about the connection his wand and Harry's wand had, which wouldn't happen, but I get that Yates needed him to say that, other wise it wouldn't have gotten talked about.) Lucius was also SO wonderful in this film. His part was very small, but Jason Isaacs made it so very memorable. He was so decrepit and rundown and just very un-Lucius. Costumes and hair/make-up did a wonderful job on him, and Jason Isaacs, as always, brought everything to the table. Especially if you compare him to Yaxley, who I thought, acted and looked like Lucius in his prime, before the fiasco at the Ministry; the expensive robes, the I'm-better-than-everyone air, spending so much time in the Minister's (and Voldemort's) pocket. Even his long hair was reminiscent of Chamber of Secrets-era Lucius.

Speaking of the Ministry, Bill Nighy as Rufus Scrimgeour was brilliant. He wasn't really how I pictured Scrimgeour, but it wasn't one of those times where I was so caught off-guard by how different my Scrimgeour was to the one on the movie *cough* Narcissa *cough*. Movie!Scrimgeour worked really well, and Bill Nighy was such a good casting choice. The way he spoke as Scrimgeour almost gave me chills. His voice just kind of crept into my head, which I loved. The only thing I didn't love about Scrimgeour, was the reading of the will scene, which was no fault of Nighy's. I had always scene that scene as an interrogation in the books, but it wasn't in the film. It was more like a conversation between friends than anything - and Harry and Scrimgeour were anything but friends. The only hint of book!Scrimgeour I got was when he handed Harry the snitch with the cloth, instead of his hands. I was incredibly disappointed with the choice to cut the scene like that.

HOWEVER, I did love the Minstry of Magic scene. The trio's transitions from the trio to the Ministry workers was hilarious and just perfect. The actors who took the place of the trio acted just like them, I almost didn't even see Reg Catermole, Mafalda Hopkirk and Albert Runcorn - I just saw Harry, Hermione and Ron. Especially with Reg/Ron. I was disappointed with Harry not taking Mad-Eye's eye from Umbridge's door, but his "I must not tell lies, Dolores" made me so happy! Those lines (and the Dumbledore's man through and through bit) has been something I've really missed from these films, so I'm so so so glad that they put that in there!

Another scene I was really really pleased with was the Doe scene. The form of the doe itself was so beautiful, and the setting Yates chose was exactly how I saw it in my head. The light was so gorgeous in this scene, from what I can remember, anyway. The bit of Voldemort's soul in the Horcrux was really well done, as well, I thought. The inky, oily blackness of it disgusted me, like it should. Though I was disgusted and disturbed by the nakedness of Harry and Hermione. It worked wonderfully, but I wasn't expecting them to all of a sudden be naked.

Style-wise, I also really loved the Tale of the Three Brothers. I love love loved the animation on it. The colour of the background made it feel like parchment being drawn on by someone, which was just so cool. I would have liked to have Xenophilius explain it, rather than Hermione, but he was so distracted about Luna being gone and having Harry Potter in his house that it worked will. Speaking of Xenophilius - I LOVED HIM. When I first heard that Rhys Ifans was going to play Xenophilius, I was concerned. I had only ever seen him in The Replacements as the football kicker (and by football, I don't mean the American one) and that didn't jive in my head at all. But seeing him in DH as Xenophilius, with his long hair and his interactions with Luna and inside his crazy house...he was perfect. Absolutely perfect. I especially loved him at the wedding, even though we only saw him briefly with Luna. (The wedding, by the way, was gorgeous. I want a wizard wedding! And Fleur's dress! Ah! So pretty! Aunitie Muriel angered me, like she should have, but ahhh I haven't wanted to hit an old lady more in my life!)

Speaking of creepy old ladies...BATHILDA BAGSHOT. Ohmygod. She was perfect and terrifying and SO FREAKING CREEPY. As soon as I saw her I recoiled. With her cataracts and her layers and stooped back....ew. I could almost smell the stench coming from her, especially once they got inside the house. So gross. And then the snake came out of her. I really wanted to curl up inside myself. I hate snakes. It was so scary. And when Nagini came at the screen! Merlin! I have never jumped so much in a film. I was probably half a foot off my seat. *shudder*

Let's move on to not snake talk. I hate snakes.

Oh! Oh! When the trio is caught! I want to talk about that! I loved the chase scene! I'm really disappointed that Greyback hasn't had a bigger part in the films. He's just so damn scary in the books, but he's barely even there in the films. And instead there's that other Snatcher, who reminds me a bit of a Vampire from something Anne Rice would have written, who is creepy as HELL, but he's no Greyback. I mean, Greyback could have done everything that that Snatcher had done and it would've been more creepy, at least for me. Though I suppose Greyback isn't pretty enough or something to be the head Snatcher.

I love the exchange between the Snatchers and the Death Eaters at Malfoy Manor. Especially Bellatrix trying to get Draco to say that Harry is Harry. And he didn't even rat Harry out. I really love Draco in this film. So much. The cellar bit is really perfect too, Luna makes me so happy. I love her. The only part I didn't like in this scene was the fact that Bellatrix carved Mudblood into Hermione's arm. I get the symbology behind it and the reference to numbering in Nazi concentration camps but...I can't see Bellatrix using a knife to torture someone. Anyone can use a knife. Muggles can use knives to torture people. But only witches and wizards can use Crucio, and I think Bellatrix would have seen that. She wouldn't have used a torture technique that Muggles could use. No way.

That being said, I loved the escape scene. And Dobby's, "Kill? Dobby never meant to kill! Only seriously maim or injure!" I laughed so hard! Even though I was almost in tears by that point because I knew he was about to die. Which was another thing that bugged me - he didn't get a burial scene! That was one thing that I needed to see in this film; the headstone that said Here Lies Dobby: A Free Elf. I needed that! And it didn't happen.

One more disappointment before I move onto the soundtrack - the lack of explanation about The Taboo. One minute Harry is saying Voldemort the next, it's You-Know-Who. No explanation, nothing. That really bothered me. I know it was all a time thing, but still. Bothered.

Okay! Now! The soundtrack! I only just downloaded it today and I've been listening to it while I was writing this. I am severely disappointed with it. Nicholas Hooper's scores for Order of the Pheonix and Half-Blood Prince gave me chills every time I listened to them. Even Patrick Doyle's score - which I didn't like very much - moved me emotionally at times. This one...I get nothing. There are some really gorgeous parts - like the last twenty seconds of Ron Leaves and Obliviate...but I'm just generally very unimpressed.

That being said! I was very happy with this film in general. It was probably the best one, and the one I left the theatre being happiest with upon first seeing it. I've found things about it that I don't like as I've thought about it, but usually it's the other way around - I pick it apart in theatre, and find more and more things I like as time goes on. So all in all, I'd say I would give Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 Four chocolate frogs out of Five.

BEDA Day 2 | A Hufflepuff Point of View

It's no secret that the Hogwarts houses don't exactly get along. There's always some sort of war going on between Gryffindor and Slytherin, and I wouldn't be surprised if Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff had a rivalry too. But it extends further than the books. It extends into the fandom, which is to be expected. Most of it is all in good fun, just poking fun and teasing. But some times the teasing goes too far. I'm talking about the Hufflepuff jokes that other houses seem to think are all just good fun, but I, being a Hufflepuff, take as being extremely offensive.

I get that they're supposed to be funny and that they're said in good fun, but I also know that as a Hufflepuff, I do not find them amusing. And I also know that I'm not the only Hufflepuff who feels that way.

Now, people have said that I'm taking it too personally, that I'm too sensitive. Yes, okay, I'm sensitive. Because I was bullied all throughout school - not unlike a lot of the people who make the Hufflepuff jokes. And yes, I take it personally. Because it's about my house. I bet Gryffindors would stand for the same thing to happen to their house. But because we're Hufflepuffs, the ones who, in the books, were looked at as being the leftovers, we're just expected to roll over and take it. Well I'm sorry, but I rolled over and took it for twelve years growing up. I'm not going to do it anymore. And this seems like as good of a place as any to put my foot down.

So I suppose what I'm trying to say in this blog is this: just because Hufflepuff's are abused in the books, does not mean that it's okay to do it in the fandom. Just because Hufflepuff's aren't known for the bravery, or their intelligence, doesn't mean that we are a lesser house. Look at Cedric Diggory. He was chosen above every other person at Hogwarts to be the Triwizard Champion. He was chosen above every Gryffindor, every Ravenclaw, every Slytherin. And he was a Hufflepuff. A "lowly" Hufflepuff whose loyalty to Harry is the reason why he took the egg to the bath.

I know that no one is trying to personally insult anyone by making the jokes. I also know that the people who make them are fantastic people. But when it comes down to it, the outcome of the jokes - that it hurts people - overshadows the intentions. So please, the next time you're think about starting a Hufflepuff joke, think about that.