I'm a little long winded. A little.

[smallhawk.livejournal.com]

Name: Kestrel//smallhawk
Age: 22
House you were sorted into: Gryffindor
Link to original application: http://community.livejournal.com/platform_934/511508.html

Are there any questions you would like to elaborate on?

Since rereading the series including the seventh and final book several of my answers have changed. Also, in real life I've grown up quite a bit in the past 6 weeks or so. I've decided on a major that I love, versus one that was practical. I've also moved out of my parents house and back to my home at college, which has a change in my general attitude like you wouldn't believe. I feel that those are important things to note before looking at my changes. There are a few questions I would like to elaborate on (save for the mirror question since I have to re-answer it in a minute regardless).

1. What sort of profession in the wizarding world would you choose and why?

"I haven't got a clue. I haven't got a clue what I'm going to do here in the muggle world either. I haven't seen much of professions in the wizarding world that aren't professions in the muggle world. I mean, being an auror could be cool, but it's not for me. I may end up teaching, it seems like the most reasonable answer, I could be an author, or a reporter. I might run a domestic violence shelter of some sort, I'm sure wizards need them too. In short, I'm still young. I've got time to figure it out."

I still feel like I'm young enough to have plenty of time to sort out what I want to do when I "grow up." However, I wish I had started out stronger with this question. I do have a general idea of what I would like to do with my life, other than being a career student. I'm a Junior in college double majoring in Women's Studies and Sociology. I want to help people and I want to make the world a better place to live in. My focus is primarily on gender and women, because there's a lot of work to be done with those two things. I do know that I want to go to Graduate school in a few years. When I first started college, I thought I wanted to be a High School Social Studies teacher and then move into a Professor position years down the road. Since spending time in those classes I realized that I just want to move into a professor position and I'm not sure what I want to do out in the "real world" between finishing my BA and going into Grad school.

2. What HP character do you identify with most and why?

"This is a difficult question. I feel like it's really difficult to identify with any of the characters because they all fit such specific roles and the ones that we know well enough to identify with are the ones who are extremes. Forced to choose, I'd say I most Identify with Harry. He's a real person, with real flaws. He's the ringleader without really trying to be and he's been thrust into his life by virtue of the family in which he was born. Now, I'm not saying I'm all that or anything but I identify. Often I find myself not living up to the expectations laid out for me, and I just want to be the person that I want to be. I also have amazing friends who tend to keep me in check."

Having read the series again, this time purposely looking for things that I had missed out on the first two times including characters who didn't fit in the top slots in exposure. I realize now, that there is a character that I identify with much more than Harry. Tonks. From the moment she entered the story in Order of the Phoenix she had this quality that drew me to her, and I'll admit I spent the rest of the series trying to discover more about how she worked and felt about things. It appeared to me that to Tonks, much as to myself, life is like a never-ending game. Sure, there are serious things that need to be attended to, but there is also always time to relax and have a little fun. She also didn't let anything get in the way of what she wanted, save for her own clumsy habits. The war was waging on in the background and Tonks still managed to marry and have a son. It's a rare quality I think, the ability to just continue living. Sad, awful things happen in life but if you let them bring you down then you're missing out on all the happiness that those minutes had to offer.


3.Mostly, I would like to put the next two questions in order. When I originally answered them I didn't take order into account, but others did so I feel the need to place them in a more appropriate order from strongest to weakest.
What do you think are your top five abilities or qualities?
1. Dedicated. - "I finish what I start, unless it doesn't effect anyone else but myself I finish it on time too. I also stand by my choices. I admit when I made a mistake."
2. Creativity. - "Give me a task, and half the shit I need to get it done. I'll find a way."
3. Loyalty. - "Once you've impressed me I'm going to be on your side. If you're being stupid I'll tell you, but no one else is allowed to call you out.
Loyalty, in my opinion, is not blindly following someone/something else."
4. Ambition. - "I get what I want, and rarely take no for an answer."
5. Leadership. - "I take charge. I delegate. I am a bossy bitch. However, I get the job done. I learn how to accomplish the task, and I get it done. I can also step back and let others make choices for a group project. I'm the organizer."
I've landed in most leadership positions almost by accident or the good favor of my friends. Whenever I have a job to get done, the main reason that I get it done so quickly and effectively is that I have so many amazing people that rally around me and offer to help in whatever way that they can.

What do you think are your top five weaknesses or worst qualities?
1. Procrastination. - I am a princess, and my time is precious. I'm also a very social creature, so I spend a fair amount of my time just hangin' around.. "I will finish that task 2 minutes before the deadline at best, mostly because I started it an hour before the deadline. I'm always late."
2. Finances. - "DO NOT let me handle your money. I will spend it on the most ridiculous things in the world."
3. Dependance. - "I need other people. I thrive on social things. I'm pretty sure I could never make it solely on my own." It goes back to my social tendencies. I need a little time to myself regularly, but I also really need great friends to keep me sane and grounded.
4. Bossy. - "I'm a boss. I need to know everything, and I need to organize/fix it." I frequently expect things from others even if I don't really expect them from myself. I am a delegator and I have to be, otherwise I will end up doing everything on my own and I'll have no time to spend with my friends.
6. Mood Swings. - I'm a very hot and cold kind of person. I'm mostly more on the laid back side of things, but I can hold grudges with the best of them and then turn around and be that person's best friend the next week. I'm emotional in the sense that I will love/adore you and loath you and go right back to overwhelming love all in a matter of minutes. It's a problem sometimes, but most people just learn to accept it as a part of myself.

Addiction. - I have an addictive personality. I binge on things. Video games, booze, books, friends, the thing doesn't really matter. I just over do it. I go over the top until I can't handle anymore or am completely failing at other things.

4. If you were able to invent one spell, potion, or charm, what would it do, what would you use it for or how would you use it, and what would you call it?

"I feel like everything I would invent is already in existence in the wizarding world. Timeturners take care of not having enough hours in the day, Brooms allow wizards to fly, and wizards have several methods of traveling far distances quickly. In short, I just don't have anything to add at this point."

I would like to develop a charm that would help students who have trouble getting all of their studying done. It could only be cast on oneself, but would require the caster to sit still and study for either a predetermined amount of time or until the assignment is completed. I thought of this charm because I have a hard time saying no to some of my other commitments in order to have time to study for classes. Once I get my butt sitting still and not running around doing things for the different clubs and organizations I'm a part of, I'm a pretty great student. I work hard when studying, and am a little bit of a perfectionist, I just need that extra push to get me started and to stop working on other things sometimes. This charm would be called The focus helper, and the incantation would be obsideo; latin for to sit near; haunt; frequent; invest.

Explain why you feel misplaced in your current House!

I just feel as though I don't, "fit in." When I first joined HiH I was surprised at being sorted Gryffindor since it's the house I feel the least affinity to out of the four. However, I decided to give it an honest try. I went over and joined the common room, the thing I was bombarded with in the room was not what I tend to look for. I saw no introduction/welcome post and no general friendly chatter type posts. The only posts I found after looking through the first couple of pages were referring to how we as a house needed to do more, even though we were comfortably ahead in the running for the cup. There was also the quote, "We are Gryffindor. We do not lose. It is cannon." Which just rubs me the wrong way. I do enjoy a little bit of house rivalry and competition all in fun, but I just felt overwhelmed by it being everywhere. In the time that followed I have seen chaos in the common room, there have been a couple posts inviting people to socialize, and many posts saying sorry for not have X done, but please get us more points! I think it's mostly the competitiveness here that I'm just really uncomfortable with.

What would you see in the Mirror of Erised? Be exact with your descriptions!

I would be comfortably seated in a beautiful entertainment room with movie posters and pictures of friends and family from travels and great times together. Also in the room would be an intimate group of wonderful friends, family, and my partner all smiling and laughing. Some of us would be playing a game on the Wii and I would just be enjoying watching them all waiting for my next turn. I would be established and comfortable in this space as I would be finished with school, happy with my job, and financially comfortable.

What makes you unique?

I'm a pretty unique person. I'm the only kind I know who is missing a knuckle bone while my grandmother has an extra bone in her big toe. Aside from that, I'm a fairly average laid back college kid. I could say I'm modest because I'm having so much trouble answering this question, but that's most likely a lie. I'm a listener and a watcher. I love to just hang out in a busy spot, back in my early to mid teen years it would be at the mall, and just watch people. These days it's bars and the like. I just like to see how other people interact. I'm also super outgoing, and I don't have a hard time talking to new folks. I am however insanely loyal to my friends and while it's easy for me to talk to new people and welcome them into my group I'm not going to stray to far away from my group as a whole. So, the thing that makes me unique is my ability to be crazy out going. I just talk to people for no other reason than to pass the time. I have had many a fantastic conversation in the check out line, and it always amuses me. I'm more well known in my building for the same reasons. I want to make people feel welcome, noticed and cared about. It gets me in trouble sometimes, but I fully believe that a smile and a kind word really can make someone's day. It's a really simple thing, so I don't see why more people don't do it.

Comments

[echizenryuma.livejournal.com]

What do you think are the true qualities/values of each of the four houses?

[smallhawk.livejournal.com]

This is always one of the most difficult questions for me. I feel that we are not given nearly enough information about the houses, except maybe Gryffindor, to say. As the HP books are written through Harry's point of view, our glimpse into the house system is tainted by Harry's own thoughts and opinions. That being said, on to a real answer in alphabetical order.

Gryffindor - Bravery, chivalry, and fool-hardyness.
Gryffindor students have got heart, they stand by their own. It would seem as though they typically choose to fight the good fight. I would also say that Gryffindor is where the class clowns hail from, they like to have a good time. I want to say that they have a bit of an elite attitude, they always win. But, I'm not sure that's actually the case because prior to Harry's arrival the lions hadn't won the house cup or the quidditch cup in several years. In short, Gryffindors care deeply for their friends and any cause they choose to take up, so I would say the key trait of this house is passion.

Hufflepuff - Loyal, hard-working, social and accepting.
The first thing that we learn about Hufflepuff House is that Helga said she would take the rest. This leads one to assume that if you do not fit into one of the other houses you go to Hufflepuff by default. I believe this to be false. The badgers have several of their own evident qualities. The are fiercely loyal and quick to judge but also quick to forgive and forget. Unlike the Gryffindors who choose whom and what they will be loyal to and oppose all others, Hufflepuffs are loyal to those things that are assigned to them as well. They don't rebel as much and seem more likely to be rule followers. I believe that Helgas statement about taking the rest was one more of acceptance. I believe, she felt that there should be few qualifiers for her house because everyone deserves an equal chance at the starting line as well as a commitment to diversity. Hufflepuffs know that it takes many kinds of people for things to work well.

Ravenclaw - Intellect, cleverness, and solidarity.
Ravenclaw students value wit and learning above all else. They are so busy with these endeavors however that most other matters slip their minds. Both Rowena and her daughter seem to have died of broken hearts, I believe this says something about how difficult it can be to love a Ravenclaw as well as how fiercely they can love. They're not the most social people, and can find it difficult to understand human emotions because they long to know everything they can about things and emotions are tricky things. Ravenclaws march to the beat of their own drums, individually. Each has his/her own interest and appears to care little about what others thing of this, they live for themselves and learning above all else.

Slytherin - Cunning, determination, resourcefulness, and a disregard for rules.
Slytherins were hand-picked as the pure-bloods, the students that would use any means to achieve their goals. This is the house I am most unsure about, because we see so much hatred directed at them throughout the books. I think that there is a very good chance at least a few Slytherins would have stood to fight at Hogwarts, and was sadly disappointed when none did. The fact the Harry nearly got placed in this house shows more than anything else we are given as a reference I believe. Slytherins don't all just throw away every rule, they simply know well how to play the game. They know how to work people better than any of the other students and can be very manipulative as a result. Slytherin loyalties rarely lie with anyone other than themselves, and they are quick to judge others.

[smallhawk.livejournal.com]

Each has his/her own interest and appears to care little about what others thing of this...

thing should be think

[echizenryuma.livejournal.com]

Thanks for taking the time to write out such a detailed answer. :D I was pretty torn between two houses, but I think I know where you belong to now.

[smallhawk.livejournal.com]

No problem, I was starting to wonder if anyone was going to ask questions. :)

[xc0l0rful.livejournal.com]

Which qualities of each house do you think you possess?

For example: "I am loyal like the Hufflepuffs, I am brave like the Gryffindors...etc."

(Only way more elaborate, lol.)

[smallhawk.livejournal.com]

Gryffindor - I am passionate. I put my heart and soul into everything that I do, and I always feel that my way is the right way and I can be stubborn as hell. I'm not overly competitive, but I do enjoy winning and being recognized when I've work hard to achieve victory.

Hufflepuff - I am hard-working and loyal. I'm also a very accepting person and a social creature. I stand up for those friends that matter most to me, and once I get into a comfortable group of friends I'm fiercely loyal to them. No one better hurt my friends, I'll beat them down. I'm also very laid back.

Ravenclaw - I enjoy learning and I am pretty comfortable on my own. I'm awful at sympathy and situations involving emotions. Rub a little dirt on it and more on, that's the way. I also enjoy riddles and logic puzzles from time to time. :-/

Slytherin - I know how to get what I want, and I'm not above doing whatever it takes for a majority of things. I know how important having the right connections are and when I set my mind to doing/getting something nothing will get in my way.

Let me know if you want more. I'm sure I could stretch it out some, but I think this captures the basics. :)

[xc0l0rful.livejournal.com]

That was great, but I have one more question:

Who is your absolute least favorite character in the HP series and why?

[smallhawk.livejournal.com]

Sorry I took so long to reply, but I really had to think about this one. I honestly feel like all the characters are important to the series, even the "bad"/"evil" ones. So, if I have to pick my least favorite I believe it's Ron.

I do like the Weasley family, and I'm really thrilled that they're in the series. However, I just feel that Ron is so bland. He doesn't add much to the story line, and I think he would be easy to replace or at least flesh out more. I mean, Harry has the whole boy-who-lived thing, Hermione is a genius, and Ron just is. Maybe he's simply over shadowed by the rest of the Weasley clan, but he really doesn't have anything going for him other than being Harry's best friend. He doesn't have a subject he shines at, he's not really brave at all, and the whole thing with Hermione, "All's fair in love and war, and this is a little bit of both." Please. *eye roll* He flip-flops a lot and it's unclear where his loyalties really lie and how the hell he's actually going to help Harry. He serves as the damsel in distress more than anything else, Harry is constantly going out of his way to fix what Ron has broken or save him.

[smallhawk.livejournal.com]

1. If the Gryffindor common room was more to my taste, I may still have put in an appeal. However, I probably would have stuck it out longer. I think a good portion of the reason I didn't enjoy it also had a lot to do with the prefects not being around or being to busy to get things done in a timely manner. Which, I understand things come up, and people get busy. So, please don't think I am being rude and whatnot, I don't mean to be. I stated those reasons because I have seen that different HP communities have different attitudes/attributes that go into a house so I was trying to focus on what bothers me about HiH's Gryffindors. So, the main reason I put in for an appeal was the feel of the HIH Gryffindor common room.

The only other reason I may have eventually put in for an appeal would be the fact that I just don't feel like a Gryffindor. Maybe this is tainted because I feel like everyone in the fandom longs to be a Gryffindor and that they are the house to be a part of since that was the home of the main characters in the series. I really enjoy the idea of being in another house because I think it's a little more interesting. There's a lot more that is left to the interpretation of the reader, and therefore the community just tends to be more fun and sociable. It's that bond over not being in the main house and realizing that the other houses can be just as awesome.

2. I'm a really busy college kid, a student leader in my residence hall and so it's sometimes hard to separate myself from those leadership positions and "work" since it's so prevalent in where I live and when I do have time off from that, I have studying to get caught up on.

That said, I would like to put forth two ideal "day off" days.
One: If it's the kind of day off that I'm feeling sociable, which is most of them, I would sleep until my body woke me up instead of the alarm clock. I would spend the evening with friends playing games of some sort: outdoors, Wii games, or board/card games. Then, possibly head out to the bars for a couple hours with part of that same group (plus some minus some since not all of my friends are drinking age), have a few drinks and hopefully catch karaoke or a drag performance. Finally, I would spend the late night hours just my partner and myself chatting or watching a little TV, just spending some time reconnecting as a couple as she would have spent the entire day with me before calling it a night and heading to bed together.
Two: If it's the kind of day off that I want to just spend some time alone I would most likely sleep until my body woke me, grab a sandwich for lunch, then settle in with a good book, a video game, or just some fun on the internet. Then, I would nap until dinner. Lastly, I would just chill out and watch some TV or a movie and then head to bed.

3. I don't have many pet peeves, but the ones that I have are big. I get easily annoyed with people who don't follow through with the things that they say they will do. i.e. Group members who don't add anything to the group and then bitch and moan about what the rest of the group has done or people who no-call, no-show or are excessively late at/to work. Also, people who think they know everything and aren't open to other opinions but will argue with you about how their point/view/idea is superior without even listening to another point/view/idea.

[xc0l0rful.livejournal.com]

Congrats! You've been resorted into Hufflepuff!

Please remove yourself from your old common room and join the_puff_house.


I'll inform the mods and officials of your switch. =]