Appeal

Jan. 27th, 2009 09:52 am
[identity profile] vampirereverie.livejournal.com posting in [community profile] hih_appeals

Name: Allison

Age:18 (soon to be 19)

House you were sorted into: Hufflepuff

Link to original application: Link

Are there any questions you would like to elaborate on?

If you could teach one class at Hogwarts, what would it be and why? I said in my original application that I would like to teach Arithmancy because it is not a required course, so everyone who took it would have to want to be there, and because it's fairly obscure but also takes a great deal of thought. The reason I said this is that I always wanted to learn about pretty much anything, and a great deal of things interest me. I always got very angry at those who said things like "Why do we need to take so many math classes? We'll never use half of the things we learn in math." Does it really matter? What's wrong with learning something just for the sake of learning it? I felt that Arithmancy was the best manifestation of something like that in the Wizarding world. It's not really necessary to the wizarding education, but it's good to know and is very interesting, like higher math classes are in the muggle world.

What HP character do you identify with most and why? I originally said that it was a tie between Sirius Black, Remus Lupin and Luna Lovegood. I'd like to elaborate on each one a bit, and add a forth. Sirius: He's probably the least like me of the three, but I can still relate to him on many levels. I know what it's like to loose a good friend. I know what it's like to be incredibly lonely. And I know what it's like to be in the middle of some huge war and be completely unable to do anything to help. Remus: I've often felt like an outcast, like I'm some sort of alien who got trapped here by mistake. I know the pain that he feels when he's shunned because of something that he has no control over. Luna: The moment we were first introduced to Luna Lovegood, I immediately thought that this girl and I could be very good friends (if only she weren't a fictional character). She's definitely the most like me in the series. Like Luna, I have been ridiculed for some of the things that I believe. Many people have been very mean and sometimes downright cruel to me, just like they were to Luna. Now, don't get me wrong - I love science, but I believe that there are many things that just cannot be explained away by science. And the reason - I just have no reason not to believe. I've always felt like Luna took the same approach to things. And the new one: I didn't used to think this, but now that I think on it I'm actually a bit like Hermione as well. We both love to read and learn, we both spend the majority of our time with boys, and we are both in love with our best friends.

What do you look for in a friend? I originally said trustworthiness, loyalty, and good listening. I should have added that I like friends to have enough common interests with me so that we always have something to talk about, but enough differences that we never get bored with each other. I also like when a friend knows when you need someone to talk to, when you need someone to just be with you but not say anything, and when you need to be alone.

What would you see in the Mirror of Erised?

I would see myself standing beside my best friend, who would be my husband, and we would have four beautiful, healthy children standing around us. My right hand would be holding my husband's left hand, and my left would be holding a magnificent flute. I would be the principle flutist of a professional full-time symphony orchestra. Three of our children would be holding instruments, the other would be a singer. We would be standing in front of a roomy house, but not too large, with a puppy and kitten for each child playing in the rather spacious yard. We would be a happy, close family who loves God and serves him to the best of our ability.

Pick one or two canon qualities from each of the four houses that you possess and explain why you picked them:

Gryffindor: Courage and loyalty. My definition of courage is different than most. I believe that the shyest, most private person can also be one of the world's most courageous people. I keep to myself most of the time, and I certainly don't go looking for ways to risk my life. But when I HAVE to do something, when my life or someone else's depends on it, I'll do absolutely anything I have to to keep myself or someone else safe. Loyalty, however, is something that speaks for itself. I am unwaveringly loyal to my family and friends, and I am loyal to God. I love all of them with all my heart, and if it is in my power to support or help them in any way, I'll do it.

Hufflepuff: Honesty and good work ethics. I try to be honest in all that I do. Whenever I have to lie about anything, even something of little consequence, I feel terrible about it for ages. Sometimes I'll go to a concert or something, and think, "There was no one taking tickets at the door. I could have just snuck in." But then I'll feel horrible for even thinking of it. I have always been very afraid of people considering me to be lazy, so I've always tried to do everything in my power to prove them wrong. . . even when no one mentions anything at all about me being lazy. I believe that you can accomplish anything you wish to accomplish with enough hard work.

Ravenclaw: Wit and intelligence. I realize that I probably sound really stuck-up for saying this, but I promise I don't mean it that way. Wit is something that I really don't think about much, but I do have it. I was always good at coming up with clever come-backs at the drop of a hat, come-backs which those attempting to make fun of me usually had to sit and think about for awhile. I've always had a witty sense of humour; nothing makes me happier than a good intellectual joke. :) Intelligence is something that I was gifted with, and I treasure it very much. Knowledge and wisdom is something that you can never have too much of, and no one can ever take it from you. It is the most important thing that you can possibly possess, with one exception: faith. I have a photographic memory, and learn things very quickly. If I read it once, I'll probably remember at least aspects of it forever. I was always able to process things quickly. But, more importantly, I have a resourcefulness that goes hand-in-hand with intelligence. Intelligence isn't always what you know, but knowing how to find out what you wish to know.

Slytherin: Ambition and resourcefulness. I've always been very competitive, and up until somewhat recently I always wanted to be the best at everything. A couple years ago, though, I learned to accept the fact that it would be very difficult to be the best at anything at all, much less the best at everything. Be that as it may, I'm still quite ambitious, especially in regards to my career. I talked a little bit about resourcefulness in the Ravenclaw section, but it applies here as well. Go house unity! But anyway, resourcefulness is, I believe, the most important thing that I inherited from my beloved great-grandfather. He only had a sixth grade education, but he could fix anything and make anything. If he didn't have something and didn't have money to buy it, he made his own. I've always had a very similar philosophy. When I'm in a bad situation, I always find something to help me get out of it.

Explain why you feel misplaced in your current house:

I just feel like I don't have anything in common with anyone in my house. I've been in Hufflepuff for 8 months, and I haven't really made any friends. I've participated in friending memes and discussions in the common room, but I've only ever made one friend during my eight-month tenure there. I even waited several months after I originally filed to put in an appeal, just to see if anything would change, but it didn't. I really feel like an outsider, like I don't belong. Everyone's been very nice, of course, but we just don't have a lot of things in common (see the "what do you look for in a friend" question above). I think I'd feel more comfortable elsewhere.

Date: 2009-01-28 10:46 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] caketime.livejournal.com
Hello Allison,
Your application is now up and subject to questions from our judges. It would be great if you could answer the questions until the 4th of February, or earlier if that's possible. The judges vote when you have answered all the questions.
Thank you!

Date: 2009-01-28 10:54 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] caketime.livejournal.com
1. Pick someone from each of the four houses and tell me 1. which traits or behaviour you dislike about them. 2. if there are any similarities between the characters and you.

2. I have a hard time believing no one, save for one person, in Hufflepuff shares the same interests as you. Do you think this will change if resorted to another house? You can find friends from all different houses in the main community.

3. Would you still remain active if you were resorted into Hufflepuff? Answer truthfully.

Date: 2009-01-28 10:59 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] lovestyle.livejournal.com
Hi Allison! :D For some people, it's hard coming up with questions to ask them, but for you, I found it pretty easy. ^_^

1.) I noticed that you mentioned a passion for flute and instrumental music in your erised elaboration; I'm assuming that means you play? Could you explain exactly how you feel about music-making? Don't be afraid to start at the very beginning- in fact, I encourage it!

2.) Explain a time when you made a choice and then later regretted it. After that, explain a time when you made a risky or hard decision that ended up paying off in the long run.

Date: 2009-01-28 01:50 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] lotrangel17.livejournal.com
1. Who would your best friend be in each of the four houses and why?

2. Who would you not get along with in each of the four houses and why?

3. Please tell me about what you have participated in at HiH, and if you can, specifically something at The Puff House; what did you like about it and what you didn't.

4. What house do you think you belong in and why?

Thank you.

Date: 2009-01-28 02:20 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] slyfoxesq.livejournal.com
Sorry if these questions are difficult or harsh, but they're all relevant, I swear. :)

1. If you, for whatever reason, had to choose between your successful career and your ideal family, which would you pick and why?

2. What appeals to you most about your ideal career? The fame, money, reverence, skill/accomplishment, or something else?

3. If you could (or had to) switch lives with someone in the HP canon, who would you choose to be (and why)?

4. Briefly, could you explain why faith is more important than knowledge?

5. Could you give some examples of your resourcefulness?

Thanks!

Date: 2009-01-31 05:58 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] slyfoxesq.livejournal.com
Now I am desperately curious to see you answer the other judges asking you where yout hink you belong, because honestly, all of these answers really just scream Puff at me.

1b. Okay, let's assume you can keep the family. Which would you rather have: the fabulous music career with a very quiet, predictable life, or a life full of travel, adventure, and surprises but without one constant/stable career?

4b. I don't want to get into a semantic or theological thing, but I see faith as being sort of opposed to the ideals of Ravenclaw, since it's basically believing without proof, whereas Ravenclaw stresses learning and curiosity and always seeking new knowledge. Obviously I'm not suggesting that no Claws are religious (Agent Scully springs immediately to mind), but how do you reconcile these ideas? If this is too personal or something, feel free to skip it. I just think it's relevant because in my experience very religious people tend to be Hufflepuffs more than any other house, so I'm curious on your feelings.

Last question, I swear:
6. Let's say a friend approaches you with a very delicate, complicated problem which is upsetting them greatly, and asks you to help solve it. How do you respond? If you do decide to try to find a solution (rather than just offer comfort), how do you go about it?

Date: 2009-01-28 03:13 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] beckella.livejournal.com
1. You're stuck on a desert island. You get one book, one album, and one person. Who and what do you bring?

2. Re-sort the following people (none can go to their original house unless you make a REALLY good argument for it): Draco Malfoy, Remus Lupin, Luna Lovegood, and Cedric Diggory.

3. Into which house would you sort Barty Crouch, Jr. and why? Into which house would you sort Barty Crouch, Sr.?

4. Sort yourself. Into which house do you feel the Sorting Hat would have put you and why?

Date: 2009-01-28 03:39 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] dorasolo.livejournal.com
I have a reputation of being a tough judge, so please do not take anything personally as a slight against yourself.

1. A Hufflepuff can sometimes be described as a more well rounded person than a Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, or Slytherin. They might have traits from all of the other houses, but no really defining (good or bad) characteristic that pulls them towards another house for sorting. How do you feel about this characterization?

2. There is a difference between not feeling comfortable in your house and being sorted correctly. If you are indeed sorted correctly as a Hufflepuff, would you a) embark on a mission to change how you perceive the HiH Puff house and make more friends, b) disappear because you didn't get what you wanted and "failure" is not an option, c) reread some of the novels to see why you'd be sorted in Puff, or d) stay in the comm, albeit unhappily, but what else can you do?

3. You've been accused of a crime. From what house do you want your prosecutor, defense attorney, and judge?

Date: 2009-01-28 07:17 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] semi-subtle.livejournal.com
1) Which is your least favorite character out of the Harry Potter books and why?

2) If you were present at the scene in which James taunts Severus in the Penseive memory (not watching, but actually among the people observing), how would you have reacted?

Date: 2009-01-28 09:12 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] xfortytwo.livejournal.com
1. Keeping in mind canon Hufflepuff traits; why do you feel that you aren't Hufflepuff?

2. What is the trait you find most admirable in other people?

3. What are some of your interests and in which house do you think you would find the most people who share them with you?

Date: 2009-01-30 04:54 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] mrdavismd.livejournal.com
1. What role you do usually play in a group (either or friends or work or school)?
2. Describe your perfect night at Hogwarts (either by yourself, with friends, or on a date)?
3. Convince me why you should be put in another house beside Hufflepuff, any house, it doesn't have to be the one you really want (if there is one)?

Appeal denied:

Date: 2009-02-07 05:03 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] caketime.livejournal.com
Sorry about the slight delay, I was unexpectedly away from the 5th to the 7nth!

Either way, you were unanimously voted into Hufflepuff along with confusion as to why you want to leave. Your whole application i.e. your personality and your goals in life just scream Hufflepuff. This is what the judges had to say:

You are courageous, loyal, hard-working, honest, intelligent, ambitious and resourceful. That's well-rounded. Well-rounded people belong in Hufflepuff. Hufflepuffs are
courageous: Tonks is an Auror, Cedric Diggory applied for Triwizard, Zacharias stood up for himself and Ernie didn't care about other people's opinions
loyal: this house is so diverse, how does a house that is tolerant and different hold together? Through loyalty!
hard-working: Hufflepuffs are unafraid of toil! Tonks worked hard to become an Auror, Susan Bones learnt a lot, etc.,
honest, i.e. genuine: Hufflepuffs do not pretend they are something they are not. Zacharias opted to directly confront Harry Potter instead of spreading false lies behind his back and Ernie opted to directly accuse Harry Potter about wanting to kill his best friend.
ambitious: goes in hand with hard-working, and Hufflepuffs have a goal that they work for
ressourceful: again, goes hand in hand with being hard-working.

Three different people asked you to resort yourself, and you still were very vague. Pushing is allowed here, due to rule number 4 (answer truthfully to questions asked by judges). I'll tell you why I could potentially see myself in any of the other three houses. shows that you have a healthy mixture of the traits from the other three houses and well-rounded people go where? Yep, Hufflepuff.
On top of that, you didn't want to push, meaning that you wanted to remain open to all the possibilities, giving everyone equal footing is yet another Hufflepuff trait. Your answers to [livejournal.com profile] dorasolo's questions only focused on Hufflepuff- you even defended Hufflepuff.

Other reasons:
1. you look for kindness and humility in people.
2. You love music because "We live to bring happiness in some form - that's why I love what I do." or I am a musician because music can express every emotion known to man better than words, and it can influence emotions just well as it expresses them and that's Hufflepuff. You like to bring joy to people, to serve a purpose.
3. your faith is unquestionable and loyal, which is Hufflepuff.

We're really sorry that you weren't happy in Hufflepuff, but you haven't given us any reasons to put you elsewhere!

We sincerely hope you give Hufflepuff another chance just like you said in this application. Our Hufflepuff judges, who are also active Hufflepuff members, haven't seen you around since ages. Apparently they have a lot of friending memes of late, so why not join those? There are many Hufflepuffs that share the same hobbies as you do, remember music and literature does not automatically mean Ravenclaw!
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