I Solemnly Swear...

[rionaleonhart]

I recently reread Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, my favourite of the Harry Potter series!

Here's something that never occurred to me before: the Marauder's Map obviously contains some element of the Marauders' teenage consciousnesses, given the way it was able to insult Snape. Like a portrait, say, or Tom Riddle's diary.

What if Harry used the map to - in a sense, at least - communicate with his father?

I think this could be fascinating. Obviously the Prongs preserved in the map wouldn't have any idea that he had a son, so Harry would first have to persuade him of their connection, which I imagine could be quite an upsetting and frustrating process. And then there would be the fact that Pettigrew is also in the map, which would make things even more awkward. Has anyone written this? This is the sort of scenario that fanfiction was made for.

Other things I hadn't thought about: Lupin addresses and refers to all of his pupils by first name. I'd never noticed that before. And the first time Lupin invites Harry into his office (I really love that scene), Harry considers telling Lupin about the black dog he saw in Magnolia Crescent; I'd love to know how Lupin would have reacted had Harry brought it up.

I'm thinking quite a bit about Harry Potter at the moment, because, being the tremendously cool person I am, I have signed up for an early-access Pottermore account. I haven't yet actually been granted access, and I find myself disproportionately nervous about being Sorted. I really want to be in Ravenclaw! I suppose I might be in Hufflepuff, and I think I'd be all right with that, but I can't identify with Gryffindor or Slytherin at all. Please don't put me in Gryffindor or Slytherin, Pottermore; I am an unambitious coward.

In fact, I think it's time for a poll:


[Poll #1772009]


I asked the first of these questions a couple of years ago, I think, but perhaps things will have changed? (No offence meant to Gryffindors and Slytherins on my flist, of course. I don't have anything against your houses; I just can't see myself in them.)

Comments

[perrie.livejournal.com]

A good part of me actually would like to be sorted into Slytherin for my sheer ambition - I want to do big things, but the main Gryffindor chunk of me is like noooooooooooooodontdoit, so I have to go with my Gryffindor instincts.

[timydamonkey.livejournal.com]

I'm not made of tough enough stuff to be a Slytherin, haha.

I always used to get annoyed in Harry Potter crossover fanfiction how it was like there were only two Houses: Gryffindor and Slytherin. Some even had dialogue like "not ambitious enough for Slytherin, better be Gryffindor!"... as if -no other houses existed-). It got to the point where whenever somebody was sorted into another House my estimation of the story went up, haha.

I've been rereading Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire because I'm writing a crossover set in the middle of said book (that will have no audience but me on account of the fact that nobody will read a Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne/Harry Potter crossover XD) and I never realised that The First Task isn't until -more than halfway through the book-. What!

I do remember a fic having Harry communicate with the Marauders via... a watch? I'll go hunt an example from said fic.

Minute example:

Mr. Prongs thinks that his son should listen to Mr. Padfoot and Mr. Mooney because they both love him as much as I do.

Harry held his breath and waited.

Mr. Wormtail believes that Mr. Padfoot is deluded from his time in Azkaban and knows that the master only has the best intentions for master Harry.

Quote from: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/1447698/11/Harry_Potter_and_the_Slytherin_Connection

(I think the contradictory Wormtail voice is my favourite of the four of them. :P)

But it's not entirely what you ask for, as I don't recall Harry having to explain who he is - I think James just knows. Also this is a minor point in the fic.

[wanttobeatree.livejournal.com]

There is a Remus/Siris fic after Sirius has died where one of the twins (possibly Fred I think) communicated with the map and it was rather good in an angsty way, I could find the link IF THAT IS YOUR CUP OF TEA?

I think really I would get on alright in all of the houses, but I'm not reckless enough for Gryffindor.

[rionaleonhart]

That sounds really interesting! I'd like the link, if you have it to hand. Even though I bet it will make me really sad. It didn't really occur to me until recently how deeply tragic the lives of every one of the Marauders are.

[wanttobeatree.livejournal.com]

Here it is! (http://www.fictionalley.org/authors/casira/mapmakers01.html) I was all prepared for an epic hunt, but no firefox has an excellent memory.

It didn't really occur to me until recently how deeply tragic the lives of every one of the Marauders are.

GOD I KNOW. I reread the HP series last month and I came away from it practically weeping over the Marauders. I had forgotten that James and Lily were only 21 when they died! They were younger than I am! ;_; and poor Sirius was younger than I am when he was sent to Azkaban for 12 years and oh god they were all so young when their lives were ruined.

In conclusion, I really need a less humourous HP icon for when I'm talking about the tragedy.

[thewaterbandit.livejournal.com]

I would love to be in Hufflepuff: nobody would expect anything of me! :p In all seriousness, though, I can dig their ethos of tolerance, hard work and loyalty, as well as the fact that their house was founded for everyone, not just people who fit their Founder's ideals. Second choice would be Ravenclaw, although I'm not very good at puzzles and logic.

I love that Lupin calls all of his pupils by their first names, too!

[amy-wolf.livejournal.com]

I'd like to be Gryffindor because having the sorting hat go "Hey, you totally are boldly heroic deep down inside!" would be awesome.

Ravenclaw is the house everyone I know would expect me to be sorted into, because The Smart Girl has long been seen as my defining feature, so that would be less interesting.

Slytherin would be low on the list, but it has potential. Clever, resourceful, and determined would not be a bad fit, although I'm not terribly inclined to disregard rules unless I'm quite sure it's the best way to go.

Hufflepuff...really doesn't fit me. I'm not particularly patient or hard-working, instead intermittently dazzling people with talent. Plus, Hufflepuff gives off a certain grounded quality that isn't me at all.

[derryderrydown.livejournal.com]

Slytherin just seems like such hard work.

I suspect it's my laziness that embraces Hufflepuff, actually.

[rionaleonhart]

But being hard-working is a Hufflepuff trait!

[amy-wolf.livejournal.com]

Yeah, Hufflepuff seems like the least laziness-friendly house, as they'd expect everyone to put in consistent hard work and do their best, even people who were clever and talented enough to do fairly well without trying as hard as they possibly could.

[kerrypolka.livejournal.com]

Although I said I would most like to be sorted into Gryffindor (I enjoy enthusiastic displays of camaraderie and slightly-too-earnest do-gooding), and least like to be sorted into Ravenclaw (I love geeking out over books and ideas, but I suspect I would want to punch my fellow house members in the face after about three weeks), I suspect I would actually be pegged for Slytherin. I think I would make the world a better place if I had a lot of power, and I am trying to get more power so I can change the world, and I don't see that being a major quality in any of the other houses. I might be a stealth Hufflepuff, though, IDK. I just want to be chairwoman of everything so I can put my Great Global Plan For Economic And Social Equality in place. :(

[dev-chieftain.livejournal.com]

See, I always hated the houses because there weren't enough of them, or they felt too restrictive in terms of what kind of people are associated with what, so rather than vote I will become a freelance wizard who goes around turning cows blue and stuff like that. That's all right, isn't it?

[bubbles-san.livejournal.com]

I put that I would prefer to be in Hufflepuff because it seems the people there (with some exception, of course) are far more easy-going and easier to get along with, but I think I would more likely be added to Ravenclaw, simply because I'm such a massive nerd when it comes to pursuit of knowledge; I've said multiple times that if there were any way I could make a comfortable, independent living from being a student, I would. I don't think I could be a Slytherin because I'm not cunning (in fact I'm the least subtle person ever), and certainly not a Gryffindor because while it's all well and good to imagine running headlong into danger, I'm much more practical and prefer to pick and choose my battles based on whether I can win.

[prologi.livejournal.com]

I love that you have an flist of mostly Ravenclaws. The #1 House for unapologetic nerds. :D I really don't think I'd fit in anywhere else, but Hufflepuffs seem nice and at least I could be tactless and sarcastic in Slytherin, but blind courage just does not work for me. Sorry, Gryffindors, I'm sure you're lovely people.

[ukcalico.livejournal.com]

Contemplating this, I've realised I essentially recognise within Medical School the following groups:

Top Ten Percent = Ravenclaw
Rowers & Rugby Players = Gryffindors
Get By On Luck, Charm & Wanting It Badly Enough To Sacrifice Everything Else When Necessary = Slytherin
Diligently Plodding On = Hufflepuff

And yeah, considering this version: whilst obviously Ravenclaw is the best place to be, the last three years have shown me I'm firmly in the Slytherin camp. *g*

[littlered2.livejournal.com]

This is a surprisingly tricky question! I think I would most like to be in Ravenclaw, because I am a massive nerd and loved school (the educational side of it, at least; during the rest I hid in the library); however, going to Oxford and being surrounded by clever people was a huge knock to my self-esteem, so Ravenclaw might make me miserable for that reason. (Um, this is if I ended up in the house in real life; it wouldn't exactly matter if it was just on Pottermore.) And I chose Slytherin as the one I'd least like to be in, because all of the blood purity stuff would be deeply unpleasant to be surrounded by, and my ambitions always essentially just revolved around doing well in school (which means I'm unfortunately lacking in them now). Gryffindor would be nice if it meant a high proportion of opinionated social justice types like Hermione, but I think I would find all of the extroversion likely to be there completely terrifying.

[rionaleonhart]

The self-esteem point is an interesting one. I went to a private secondary school where I was fairly middling in terms of achievement; it wasn't until I went to university, where there was a wider range of ability, that I realised I could actually excel. But I suppose the spur to do better at Hogwarts might come from being placed in the house associated with intelligence; you'd still have classes with other houses, after all.

[faeries-bite.livejournal.com]

I am a massive coward - I avoid any kind of conflict until the last moment possible, so that's Gryffindor off the list. I don't have the kind of patience necessary to be cunning, and my ambition is all academic, which narrows it down to Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw. I would have said Hufflepuff right up until GCSE year, when I realised I am the laziest and most procrastination-prone bitch I know. If Hufflepuffs are diligent and hard working, then that rules me out. Ravenclaw it is. If nothing else, I have intelligence and a love of books. Not very much common sense, but then again, The Rotfang Conspiracy, anyone?

[marginaliana]

I always find this subject a bit difficult, because really, I AM a Ravenclaw. But I kind of would like to be a Hufflepuff.

[cookiedough.livejournal.com]

I'm in, I got Gryffindor and I literally don't know what to do with myself. I'm just like 'whaaaaaaat.' I thought I would get Ravenclaw or Slytherin.

[rionaleonhart]

I'm sorry you got a house you didn't really identify with! But it's very cool that you're on Pottermore already. I saw your entry on it yesterday, and your wand is hilarious.

[jk-rockin.livejournal.com]

I genuinely don't know what I will do with myself if I don't get Gryffindor,, considering I'm going back to my tattooist to get my Gryffindor crest tattoo finished today. I suppose I could handle Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff- I lovelovelove books and learning, and I like to be helpful and friendly, but I am not studious or hardworking- but I completely lack serious ambition, so Slytherin makes little sense. I just love nobility and heroism and self-sacrifice and the spirit of just Doing Shit that Gryffindors enjoy.

[rionaleonhart]

I saw the picture of your tattoo-in-progress; it looks fantastic. Good luck with getting into Gryffindor! (And hello! It's nice to meet you.)

[jk-rockin.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I'm pretty chuffed with it myself. (It's a pleasure to meet you too! You can blame cookiedough for pimping out your fabulously insane Pokemon crossovers.)