Wotcher Harry! or, Accio Friday Five!

Yes indeedy, aside from the Mikado, it's pretty much all Harry, all the time right now chez Magdalene. Larry-O and I have resolved to re-read all six books prior to reading Deathly Hallows, and Petra decided to re-read books five and six. So, at present, I am in the middle of Chamber of Secrets (book 2), Larry-O is into Goblet of Fire (book 4), and Petra is finishing up Order of the Phoenix (book 5). In addition, last week we had a late night, after rehearsals film festival, in which we watched movies one through four in preparation for the release of Order of the Phoenix (we won't see it until after the play is over).

So, natch, I opted for the magical Friday Five (even though I should be writing my sermon!!!!).

1. Which Harry Potter book is your favorite and why?

Ah... I am re-reading them, as I said, and I am loving each as I encounter it. But I believe my favorite is book 3, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Maybe it's the whole adoptee gestalt, but I loved that Harry found, at the end of that book, someone who truly loved him and was ready to care for him. His joy at hoping that Sirius Black would be able to take him away from the dreadful Dursleys was so exquisite, and the disappointment of Sirius still needing to be on the run so acute. But after all those years of a non-family, it was great for Harry to truly find family (reminded me of Miss Honey and Matilda).

2. Which character do you most resemble? Which character would you most like to get to know?

Umm, this is a terrible admission for me to have to make, but a dear seminary friend called me Hermione. Had to do with a kind of annoying needing-to-know-and-understand-it-all streak that would come out every so often. (Or all the time.) I would like to get to know Snape... I hold out hope that this damaged, angry man might still be seeking to be good at heart in ways we can't understand (and there you have some vital information about my sense of pastoral call...).

3. How careful are you about spoilers?
a) bring 'em on--even if I know the destination, the journey's still good
b) eh, I'd rather not know what happens, but I'm not going to commit Avada Kedavra if someone makes a slip
c) I will sequester myself in a geodesic dome to avoid finding anything out

I have really been stressing, as my kids would say, about the fact that I know it will be all over the news in short order as to who died. (All the reportage says that there will be two deaths). Short of c), I will be working pretty hard to insulate myself from spoilers. This will be tough: as I've mentioned above, I'm trying to re-read all the books, and it could take me several weeks to get to book 7 after it's been released (and after I have to wrestle it away from my offspring).

4. Make one prediction/share one hope about book 7.

I fervently hope that Harry won't die. But one thing Rowling has said in an interview leads me to believe he will. She said that she's suprised that more people/ interviewers haven't asked her about her faith. She said that if they had, what she shared might have made the ending of book 7 predictable. That to me sounds like a major hint in the direction of a sacrificial death, and I can only imagine two people for whom that will carry the most weight: Snape and Harry. I believe one of them, plus Voldemort will die. I hope I'm wrong about it being Harry.

5. Rowling has said she's not planning any prequels or sequels, but are there characters or storylines (past or future) that you would like to see pursued?

I'd love to see the future of Harry, Ron and Hermione: I see Harry as an auror, Ron as head mufti of the Ministry of Magic, and Hermione as the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher who finally sticks (if I were a consultant to Hogwarts, I might suggest they eliminate that position and teach it across the curriculum!).

Thanks reverendmother! That rocked. Now.... accio sermon.....!