Harry Potter Blog-athon: Harry, Ron and Hermione

So we've gone through the bad guys, the good guys, the class schedules, and what we can all learn from the Harry Potter series. I've even shared how I'd react if I received my Hogwarts Acceptance Letter. Now it's time to talk about Harry, Ron and Hermione.

While I appreciate that Harry is the chosen one and all that jazz, we must not forget that without the help of Ron and Hermione, I don't think he would have surivived it all. After all, what are you without your support system? Just a boy with a scar who refuses to open Hogwarts: A History, that's who.


Harry Potter
I loved Harry as a character because even though I wanted to punch him in the face sometimes (okay, maybe throughout Order of the Phoenix), I still understood him. No one, wizard or muggle, had any clue what Harry was going through. In the end, he recognized that he couldn't do this alone and that his weaknesses were others strengths.


Ronald Weasley
Ron is probably some of the best comic relief a story has ever seen. When things are bleak and look like they won't ever get better, Ron is there to spit up slugs for your amusement. Even though Ron gets jealous of Harry and all his fame, he's a true friend until the end.

Hermione Granger
I liked this bushy haired girl from the moment she stepped into Harry and Ron's compartment on the Hogwarts Express. Despite not being exposed to the magical world previously, she doesn't get caught up in all the allure. Instead, she dives into her textbooks and learns everything she can. She proves to be one of Harry's most valuable assets throughout the series.

What do you like most about this trio?

Harry Potter Blog-athon: Hogwarts Acceptance Letter

Before I get to my post on Harry, Ron and Hermione's awesomeness, I want to talk about something Jen Daiker posted on her blog yesterday. It was her reaction to recieving her very own acceptance Letter. I was going to comment in that post about how I'd feel, but then I realized a comment couldn't really convey the feeling. Instead, I'll let this kid tell you:



Substitute the words "Nintendo 64" with "Hogwarts" and that pretty much sums it up!

How would you react if you were accepted to Hogwarts??

P.S. Since today is "the" day, you're getting a bonus post. Check back later today for my tribute to Ron, Harry and Hermione.

What I've Learned - Harry Potter Series

Since it's Harry Potter week, I thought it would be a great time to highlight some of the things I've learned about writing from this series.

• Every detail matters. While I was reading the earlier books in the series, I sometimes found myself thinking, Why do I care about THAT? Some scenes and characters seemed like real throwaways in the beginning. Space wasters, even. Then, when I got to the last book my thoughts ended up something like this - OHMIGOD! That thing from the second book that I thought didn't matter totally matters! JK Rowling, you genius!. So the moral here, friends, is to make it all count. Don't include things that aren't important to the story.
  
• Just because a book is in the kids section of the bookstore, doesn't mean adults can't enjoy it. As I've probably admitted more times that I care to remember, I avoided Harry for a long time because I thought it was a story aimed at the Middle Grade audience. After countless rave reviews of the series on my online book club, I bit the bullet and read it. Well, it was more like I devoured it. The series has something for everyone.
  
• A flawed character trumps all. Not one character in the series can be described as thoroughly good or thoroughly evil (okay, maybe one, but even HE had humble beginnings). This makes the characters in the story just like people in real life (except for the fact that they're awesome wizards!). In other words, it makes them relatable. When I'm genuinely interested in how a character became who they are, I can forgive almost anything. Even adverbs.
  
• When done right, a third person perspective can be awesome. If I ever try my hand at third person, you can be sure I'm going to use this series as a reference.
  

How about you? Which books do you 'look up to' when you write?

More importantly - tonight's the night! Anyone going to a midnight showing? I won't be going until Saturday night. I can't wait!

Harry Potter Blog-athon: Class is in Session

A fun part of the book for me is all the different magic classes that Harry and his classmates get to take. Towards the end of the series, school takes a backseat to all the bad things that are happening, we can't forget that those kids started out going to Hogwarts to LEARN!

Classes I'd Love to Attend at Hogwarts

• All of them (okay, I'll be serious)
  
• Herbology. I fancy myself to be Neville Longbottom's protege. Gillyweed, Mandrakes, Bubotuber pus - all things a student attending Hogwarts should be familiar with.
  

  Devil's Snare, Devil's Snare... what did Professor Sprout say?-- it likes the dark and the damp..."
  - Hermione Granger

• Transfiguration This class is great for pranks on pompous older brothers.
  

  Fred and George were crouching in the shadows on the landing, heaving with laughter as they listened to Percy dismantling his and Ron's room in search of his badge.
  "We've got it," Fred whispered to Harry. "We've been improving it."
  The badge now read Bighead Boy. (Prisoner of Azkaban, page 67)

• Defense Against the Dark Arts. I'd love to take this when Lupin taught. I wonder what my boggart would be...
  

  "Nobody knows what a boggart looks like when he is alone, but when I let him out, he will immediately become what each of us most fears." -Professor Lupin

• Potions. Taking a class with Professor Snape would be super scary, but I'd tough it out because he makes it sound so glamorous. Maybe I could take the same class as Harry so he wouldn't pick on me.
  

  "Potter! said Snape suddenly. "What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"
  "I don't know, sir," said Harry.
  Snape's lips curled into a sneer.
  "Tut, tut -- fame clearly isn't everything." (Sorcerer's Stone, page 137)

Classes I'd Most Likely be Caught Cutting

• Divination. Trelawney, you're just too cosmic for me. I'm going to go chill with Hermione while you babble on about tea leaves.
  

  "I think Divination seems very woolly. A lot of guesswork, if you ask me." -Hermione Granger

• History of Magic. This class sounds like a total bore-fest. I'll skip it to hang out in the Gryffindor common room, thank you very much.
  

  My subject is History of Magic. I deal with facts, not myths and legends." -Professor Binns

• Muggle Studies. This is one time I don't share Hermione's sentiments.
  

  But it'll be fascinating to study [Muggles] from the wizarding point of view." -Hermione Granger

• Care of Magical Creatures. Sorry Hagrid, but some of those creatures you bring to class scare me. I'd like to keep all my limbs, thank you very much.
  

  "I can certainly see why we're trying to keep them alive. Who wouldn't want pets that can burn, sting, and bite all at once?"
  -Draco Malfoy

Which Hogwarts class is your favorite?

Harry Potter Blog-athon: Favorite Evil Characters

Yesterday we focused on our favorite good guys, now let's take a look at the ones who are so good at being bad that we love them. Call them whatever you want - ill-advised Ministry of Magic employees, Deatheaters, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, they're the bad guys in the Harry Potter series.

Favorite Evil-Doers in the HP Universe

My favorite evil character has to be Dolores Umbridge. I know this is a weird pick, but Umbridge is the one character that I hated with every fiber of my being from the moment I met her to this day. I'm not even reading the series anymore and I can't stand this woman! The thing that really gets me worked up about Umbridge is the thing that gets me angry about real people. Umbridge was just a regular person who took a huge ego trip and let it go to her head. Ugh. She is a truly awful person.

Another favorite of mine is Lucius Malfoy. The thing that gets me about Lucius is that he is openly evil for a good portion of the series, starting with Chamber of Secrets. It's too bad someone didn't think to lock him up and throw away the key back then!

And finally, we can't have a post about evil characters without talking about He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, can we? I have to give Voldy props. He fought his way back to the top of the evil food chain by using his evil charms and luring some gullible followers into helping him. He's certainly no fool!

Honorable mention goes to Bellatrix LeStrange and Severus Snape.

Who are your favorite evil characters?

Harry Potter Blog-athon: Favorite Characters

It's finally here! The first installment of the final Harry Potter movie is coming out at the end of this week! To celebrate, I'm counting down the days with a look back on my favorites from the series. Every day I'll be featuring something Harry Potter related, so check back and weigh in with your favorites in the comments below.

There are so many characters in the Harry Potter series, I thought it was only fair to split them down the line they chose for themselves: good and evil.

Today we're talking about the good guys. The ones we're supposed to be rooting for.

My personal favorite character is Sirius Black, but since I already wrote a love letter to him earlier this year, I thought I'd spread the love and pick another favorite character. Of course I couldn't pick just one, so here's a quick list of three more characters that are just....awesome!

• Luna Lovegood. From the moment she was introduced, I wanted to be BFF with Luna. She's loyal, smart, and a little quirky. My favorite thing about her is how she isn't afraid, and doesn't care that she's a little off from center.
  
• Dobby. At first Dobby annoyed me to no end. I just wanted him to go away. He made poor Harry's life impossible at the beginning of Chamber of Secrets. As I learned his story, I softened up to him. By the end of the series, Dobby became one of my favorites.
  
• Dumbledore. For being one of the most powerful, smartest wizards of all time, Dumbledore also knew how to enjoy life. I liked how, as the series progressed, we saw the fierce side of Dumbledore. One of my favorite quotes of the whole series is from Dumbledore:
  

  'Come quietly.' I am afraid I am not going to come quietly at all, Cornelius. I have absolutely no intention of being sent to Azkaban. I could break out, of course – but what a waste of time, and frankly, I can think of a whole host of things I would rather be doing.
  -Order of the Phoenix, Chapter 27

  I love how that quote basically says - Hello, I'm Dumbledore and I'm a total badass. Goodbye.

Who are your favorite good guys from the HP series?

Stay tuned tomorrow for my favorite evil characters!

Weasley Wednesday!

I know, this post is a total cop out, but can you blame me? It's Nano week one and I want to spend my time drafting. If you want a real post, check out my Love Letter to Sirius Black.

Today I'm posting some pics of our favorite wizard family: The Weasleys! Enjoy!

The whole (movie) family! I wish there was more Bill and Charlie!



The Twins!



Poor Won Won!



And no post would be complete without the family curmudgeon!



ATTN POTTER FANS: I'm putting together a feature for the week of the release and I need your help! Please email me [mmremshard@gmail] all your favorite things about the series. Make sure you give me a link to your blog so I can credit you!

And to make this post a little bit about writing, I'll leave you with my current Nano word count: At 8:03 AM I'm at 5,975 words. I'm going to try and get to 10,000 before the weekend. Wish me luck!

In Case You've Been Living Under a Rock....

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 comes out in less than a month! Words cannot express how excited I am for this movie. I'm planning some big things for the week of November 14, so stay tuned!

For now, watch one of the TV Spots for the movie.

A Love Letter to....

***WARNING*** Harry Potter spoilers aplenty below. You've been warned!!



Dear Sirius,

I know today is a day we are supposed to be swooning over Edward and Jacob, but I just can't get you out of my mind.

S - "S" is for staunch. You are loyal, and can be depended upon in all situations. You would die rather than betray your friends.
I - "I" is for the false incarceration you endured. I always knew it wasn't you.
R - "R" is for Remus Lupin. You were such a great friend to him.
I - "I" is for intrepid. You are brave in the face of danger, especially when defending those you love.
U - "U" is for Umbridge, and the way you encouraged Harry to fight against her evil power-trip.
S - "S" is for Secret-Keeper. I'd trust you with all of my secrets.

Hugs and Kisses,

Melissa

Want to read more love letters to your favorite YA characters? Check out Frankie's Blogfest.