Let's talk Harry Potter!

[heids]

I first read the series last year, and even though I see gaping plot holes and sensationalist writing every couple of pages, I can't help loving it haha.  Always worth discussing.

To kick it off, I've just been listening to GOF for the fourth time, and I need to talk about Hermione and SPEW.  Everyone hates her for it, which makes me mediumkey angry lol.

rant rant rant

Sure, she didn't approach it with in the right way - didn't adequately research the elves' viewpoints and assumed that hers was right, without investigating what harm it could cause.  But she was fkn FOURTEEN.  How many 14yos have thought through the precise social consequences of social movements?!  Most adults don't bother thinking about that in detail.  Most adults don't even bother thinking about social movements that aren't popularised.

She wasn't jumping on the back of a popular fad SJW style - she was starting up a completely unpopular opinion, and a serious issue that no one else had bothered paying attention to, and that takes very unusual guts and insight.  So much respect for it.

As for whether her campaign would be harmful - to people who say that house elves are happy in their service, I say that they are not.  Forcing their liberation is a terrible idea, but other moves aren't, like campaigning to:
- give them small rights (e.g. the rights to some pay, occasional holidays, more chance to disobey)
- change wizards' perceptions to see them as real beings with real feelings
- raise awareness of terrible treatment some of them receive
- show the house elves that they can continue working and serving, while still being able to have fun and have some rights

The elves' perceptions of themselves has been engrained from outside, and they need educating that they actually have rights as much as everyone else does, without necessarily completely overturning the current order.

Legit all she needed was a little effective altruism and marketing training, and she was on the way to being a leader of positive social change.

[fantasticbeasts3]

OH. MY. GOODNESS. i never thought this day would come (a harry potter thread)! i first read the series when i was 9, and have read it a couple times since but haven't had a reread in a while, and will be doing so once i finish the hsc :-) i love this series with all my heart and have started so many social media accounts for it and my passion for harry potter will never die (such as through my account name here).

[RuiAce]

Did you know Voldemort's boggart is his corpse?

[Sine]

Did you know Voldemort's boggart is his corpse?

makes sense 

favourite spell?

[Calebark]

In Prisoner of Askaban (I THINK), there's a Christmas dinner with 12 people sitting at the table. Trelawny refuses to sit at the table as she says that 13 people at a table brings misery, and that the first to rise would be the first to die. Dumbledore stands up to try and talk some sense into her. She still refuses to sit, and promptly leaves.

However, we later find out that Peter Pettigrew (who was in Ron's pocket) is a person. There were already 13 people at the table. Dumbledore was the first to rise, and out of all those characters, he was the first to die.

[RuiAce]

makes sense 

favourite spell?

They say that Voldemort liked to torture his enemies to the point they'd be willing to die before actually killing them. So I feel like his favourite wasn't actually Avada Kedavra but rather a whole family of spells including Crucio and Legillimens.

P.S. my favourite is Sectumsempra... don't judge

In Prisoner of Askaban (I THINK), there's a Christmas dinner with 12 people sitting at the table. Trelawny refuses to sit at the table as she says that 13 people at a table brings misery, and that the first to rise would be the first to die. Dumbledore stands up to try and talk some sense into her. She still refuses to sit, and promptly leaves.

However, we later find out that Peter Pettigrew (who was in Ron's pocket) is a person. There were already 13 people at the table. Dumbledore was the first to rise, and out of all those characters, he was the first to die.

If that was the case he did a good job to get out of it, until he put on that ring

[heids]

They say that Voldemort liked to torture his enemies to the point they'd be willing to die before actually killing them. So I feel like his favourite wasn't actually Avada Kedavra but rather a whole family of spells such as Crucio and Legillimens

Also the Imperius curse.  Controlling people, having them helpless and completely at his command, is his favourite thing: so much power.

[katie,rinos]

I love Harry Potter so much !! I first starting reading the books when I was in year 2 (yep, little innocent 7 year old me). I have read them and watched the movies so many times. The books are always a lot better then the movies. Definitely need to reread them again after the HSC! I also have Harry Potter themed T shirts and a jumper and some other merch.
Did you guys go to the Harry Potter exhibition when it was in Australia (about 4 years ago now)?
What are your thoughts on the cursed child?-I've had people absolutely love it and others hate it. I like it but it definitely isn't as good as all the other Harry Potter books.

[brenden]

I see gaping plot holes

Do tell!

Also the Imperius curse.  Controlling people, having them helpless and completely at his command, is his favourite thing: so much power.

I'm not so sure he'd have a huge amount of fondness for the Imperius Curse, tbh. I'm suure he doesn't mind it, but I don't see it being his favourite spell, at least not for the reason you've pointed out. I think he probably enjoys controlling people without magic. Slughorn, Ravenclaw, Bellatrix - his followers, Dippet, Quirrell. I get the feeling the Imperius Curse wouldn't be satisfying for him in the slightest.

I love Harry Potter so much !! I first starting reading the books when I was in year 2 (yep, little innocent 7 year old me). I have read them and watched the movies so many times. The books are always a lot better then the movies. Definitely need to reread them again after the HSC! I also have Harry Potter themed T shirts and a jumper and some other merch.
Did you guys go to the Harry Potter exhibition when it was in Australia (about 4 years ago now)?
What are your thoughts on the cursed child?-I've had people absolutely love it and others hate it. I like it but it definitely isn't as good as all the other Harry Potter books.

Cursed Child was an exciting and fun read for all of two hours, but is a literal POS imo and, for my sanity, I don't consider it canon.

Edit & Disclaimer: I have thought about nothing else more than Harry Potter and I have very strong views.

[fantasticbeasts3]

I love Harry Potter so much !! I first starting reading the books when I was in year 2 (yep, little innocent 7 year old me). I have read them and watched the movies so many times. The books are always a lot better then the movies. Definitely need to reread them again after the HSC! I also have Harry Potter themed T shirts and a jumper and some other merch.
Did you guys go to the Harry Potter exhibition when it was in Australia (about 4 years ago now)?
What are your thoughts on the cursed child?-I've had people absolutely love it and others hate it. I like it but it definitely isn't as good as all the other Harry Potter books.

i classify the cursed child as a work of fanfiction (my phone autocorrected to fabrication and i didn't realise until now) (whoops) it's just so far from canon.

and yes!!! the exhibition was amazing, i went there for my 12th birthday :-)

[RuiAce]

I'm not so sure he'd have a huge amount of fondness for the Imperius Curse, tbh. I'm suure he doesn't mind it, but I don't see it being his favourite spell, at least not for the reason you've pointed out. I think he probably enjoys controlling people without magic. Slughorn, Ravenclaw, Bellatrix - his followers, Dippet, Quirrell. I get the feeling the Imperius Curse wouldn't be satisfying for him in the slightest.

Yeah whilst Heidi isn't wrong I probably agree more with this.

I feel like at the end of the day Voldemort prefers suffering over being warped. Because ironically enough the one under the Imperius curse actually just feels bliss

What are your thoughts on the cursed child?-I've had people absolutely love it and others hate it. I like it but it definitely isn't as good as all the other Harry Potter books.

Haven't read/watched it myself but apparently all my friends hate it lol

[katie,rinos]

i classify the cursed child as a work of fabrication (whoops) it's just so far from canon.

and yes!!! the exhibition was amazing, i went there for my 12th birthday :-)

OMG, I went there the day after my 12th Birthday! When's your birthday? It was a huge deal at the time!

Cursed Child was an exciting and fun read for all of two hours, but is a literal POS imo and, for my sanity, I don't consider it canon.

I loved the Harry Potter books but they were already finished and now she's trying to make more. It was definitely more fabrication then the other books and to get more money (when she has more then enough).
Although, I would still love to see the play if it ever came to Australia.
Also, I hate when she says stuff like she regrets having Hermonie marry Ron, like you can't really take that back now.

[Sine]

They say that Voldemort liked to torture his enemies to the point they'd be willing to die before actually killing them. So I feel like his favourite wasn't actually Avada Kedavra but rather a whole family of spells including Crucio and Legillimens.

P.S. my favourite is Sectumsempra... don't judgeIf that was the case he did a good job to get out of it, until he put on that ring

ahh, I think mine is the patronus charm 

[heids]

@Brenden, actually so true, I hadn't thought about it enough!

I love the patronus, too, Sine.

The Cursed Child... I prefer my own mental fabrications of the post-DH future.  TCC upsets me.

[Calebark]

Has anyone here done the house test on Pottermore? What did you get?