a brief sorting hat reprise

Do you like Michael Gambon as Dumbledore?
I know that there is a lot of negative energy directed at Michael Gambon, but I actually like him. Is he Dumbledore to me? No, not really. But Richard Harris wasn't Dumbledore to me, either. Don't get me wrong, I loved Richard Harris, and I think he would have done a fine job in the movies, but he didn't strike me as - well - Dumbledore. I believe that the best way to get a good movie translation of Dumbledore would be to morph Gambon and Harris together. See, I always think of Dumbledore (the "real" book version) as a very kind, very intelligent old (but still functional) man with a wonderful subtle sense of humor - an optimist, really. But he's also very powerful and can be very strong when it's needed of him. Harris did a pretty good job of meeting the first list of requirements, but I have a difficult time imagining him as the bad-ass Dumbledore in Order of the Phoenix and Half-Blood Prince. Gambon is awesome as the second list (powerful and strong), and he's actually quite funny (in a similar way to Dumbledore, except a bit more sarcastic). However, his Dumbledore doesn't strike me as trusting and good-hearted as the 'real' Dumbledore (hello, crazed shaking of Harry during Goblet of Fire). Gambon is a good actor, but he's not quite Dumbledore (although he did a mad good job in HP6 during the cave and Tower scene). I truly believe that Dumbledore is one of the most difficult characters to play because he's so conflicted, so much more complicated than some people realize. He's a wonderful, kind, loving, powerful, brilliant person, but he's also made some pretty huge mistakes in his past that have quite literally haunted him for his entire life. Besides, he's pretty much my favorite character in the books (and that's saying something, trust me), so no one could ever really meet my expectations. :)

A few weeks ago, I blogged about taking an online Sorting Hat quiz, which sorted me into Hufflepuff (twice). However, the more I think about it, the more I think I belong in Ravenclaw. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a genius, but I feel that I'm reasonably intelligent. I do pretty well in school without tons of effort (except math, but that is a different story). More importantly, though, I really do have a fascination with knowing stuff. Not necessarily in the scientist sense, but - I guess you could call me highly curious, more in the philisophical sense. Besides, I think that being a Ravenclaw doesn't just mean that you do well in classes or think out of textbooks; Luna Lovegood is a true Ravenclaw, and she has a very unconventional way of thinking (I do think she's smart, though). I value friendship, family, fairness, and loyalty, but I'm not as much of a people person as Hufflepuffs seem to be; I like people, but I also like to be alone sometimes. I believe that each of the four Houses display most of the traits, but some are more dominant in one house over another - it's possible to be really close to your House without having friendship as your main "label." Also, the Ravenclaw Tower seems much more appealing than a partially underground Hufflepuff 'cave,' as far as I'm concerned. I don't know, I simply feel like I would be happier in Ravenclaw than Hufflepuff, so I'm officially (or as officially as you can do in the Muggle world) switching from Hufflepuff to Ravenclaw. I think that Ravenpuff would be a more accurate House for me, though. ;)

Question: If you could have one superpower and/or magical power, what would it be? You can draw from the Harry Potter series, or other fantasy series, if you want, but don't just say "magic..." it has to be more specific than that, sorry. :)