The Harry Potter 30 Day Challenge

IN CELEBRATION OF THE RELEASE OF

HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD, 31.07.16

Goblet of Fire is the Harry Potter book in which shit got real. Not only is it packed with mystery, dramatic action and intrigue, but it sets the stage for Voldemort's return to the wizarding world and in doing so, prematurely catapults the trio into adulthood. J K Rowling has written some of her most brutal scenes in Goblet of Fire and there's a dark, almost melancholic undertone to her writing as her plot takes on a more serious tone and her characters witness tragedies and dangers that force them to age far beyond their years. The death at the end of this one? Yeah, it was almost the end of me. I think it actually hit me more than some of the other significant deaths in this series and that's saying something. It is the book of hormones, dark revelations, and teenage angst which makes it so much fun to read - it is, quite simply, one hell of a roller coaster ride that is my go-to Harry Potter book to pick up on a whim. (It probably explains why that's the book that is my most battered copy...)

Source "He asked calmly..." ^ This will never not be funny

Oh, Luna. Luna Lovegood is my ultimate fave. Aside from the fact that she is absolutely adorable, I love everything about her, from her quirks and insights, to her undying sense of loyalty and friendship. She always remains true to herself and embodies such wonderful, admirable traits that it's quite frankly, impossible not to love her. She's also smart. I don't think she gets enough credit for that because let's face it, anyone smart would forever live in Hermione's shadow, but she truly is smart in ways that are so contrary to Hermione but yet just as valid. She's open-minded, thoughtful, and inspiring in ways that make her one of the most stand-out characters that exist in J K Rowling's world.

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I'm sorry, I have to break the rules here and make them count as one, because dammit Fred and George are sassy af. They are, hands down, the life of the Harry Potter party. They are just such a breath of fresh air, and as the series progresses and becomes darker with each new instalment, it's their mischief that breathes life into the pages. I think it's safe to say that the world of Harry Potter would not be the same without the Weasley twins. And I'm not even going to talk about that end of Deathly Hallows. I can't.

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This is a no-brainer. Despite having such a short presence in Harry's life (it's one of the few things I wish J K Rowling had done differently), Sirius goes from convicted murderer to beloved godfather real quick. And in that short time, he is easily as beloved to the readers as he is to Harry. He's reckless, carefree and not afraid to let Harry in on the action - and I love that because pretty much everyone in this series is all about protecting Harry from the evils of the wizarding world whilst Sirius is one of the few that challenges him to embrace and face them head on. Being the only family Harry has, and given the history that flows in their blood, their bond runs deeper than any other. After everything they've both lost, their relationship holds a great deal of significance and his bravery, support and stance as Harry's father figure represents everything that is true to the Order.

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Day 5  | 05/07/16 
FAVOURITE VILLAIN

Bellatrix Lestrange


Day 6  | 06/07/16 
FAVOURITE PROFESSOR

McGonagall

Day 7  | 07/07/16 
FAVOURITE MINOR CHARACTER

Molly Weasley


Day 8  | 08/07/16 
MOST UNDERRATED CHARACTER

Kreacher



Day 9  | 09/07/16 
FAVOURITE SHIP

Harry & Luna


Every. Damn. Time.

Because they should have.

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I don't know, I guess I just love the idea of every witch/wizard having their own little guardian angel in the form of an animal that represents their personality. I'm a sucker for that guardian angel jazz.

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Despite nearly killing Harry (unintentionally, of course) multiple times, Dobby is such an endearing little thing. Those huge green eyes, his bat-like ears, that squeaky voice...how can you not love him?! Beyond that, he plays a pretty important role throughout a number of the books, one that has a much bigger picture than that showed in the films. He repeatedly saves Harry's ass and goes on these crazy missions (like stalking Malfoy in Half-Blood Prince) just because Harry tells him to and Dobby has this deep-rooted love/admiration/obsession with Harry which makes him do it without stopping to think. And it's this love that takes his life in Deathly Hallows when he sacrifices himself for Harry (making the entire Harry Potter fandom weep in doing so...)

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Oh man it's so hard to not get these confused with classic quotes from the movies! But I'll do my best. I do apologise if I mistakenly write a movie quote, I've watched them time and time again that sometimes, the lines between the movies and the book get blurred...

1. "There's no need to call me sir, Professor" - Harry, Half-Blood Prince

2. "I'm going to bed, before either of you two come up with another clever idea to get us killed. Or worse, expelled" - Hermione

"She needs to sort out her priorities" - Ron

- Philosopher's Stone

3. "Listening to the news again?" - Uncle Vernon

"Well, it changes every day, you see" - Harry

Order of the Phoenix

4. "How you feeling Georgie?" - Fred

"...Saint-like" - George

"...Come again?" - Fred

"Saint-like" - George [points to ear] "I'm holey"

"The whole wide world of ear-related humour, and you go for holey? " - Fred

- Deathly Hallows 

5. "OI! There's a war going on here!" - Harry, Deathly Hallows [when Ron and Hermione kiss]

I've been sorted by Pottermore into Gryffindor but I think it's safe to say that everyone who knows me will disagree.

GRYFFINDORS: "Brave, courageous, chivalrous, daring, bold..."

I'm literally laughing out loud even while I'm writing this. I mean, it couldn't be further from the truth when describing me so sadly, after taking many Sorting Hat quizzes, and after deep deliberation, I must concede that I am indeed a Hufflepuff. The traits are a much better fit and you know what, Hufflepuffs are hugely underrated! (Cedric Diggory, Tonks...) so what the hell, I'm just going to embrace it.

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Right, okay. So the first movie came out in 2001 when I was 7 and I distinctly remember the day we went to watch this because it was the first movie I was ever going to the cinema to watch (maybe even the first movie I've ever watched...?) My cousin was taking the four of us; my brother and I, and two of my other cousins and when we got into the cinema, my cousin asks us where we want to sit, and naturally, as kids, we opted for the front row. The front freaking row. Oh God guys, the amount we had to strain our necks by! We were literally craning our heads up to the ceiling just to see what was happening on the screen and oh boy was it painful as hell. My brother and I still laugh at how we thought those were the best seats in the house. Suffice to say that was the first - and bloody last - time we sat in the front row to watch a movie. Despite that painful torture, I was hooked by this whole new world that Harry Potter opened up for me. (I struggled to sleep that night because Voldemort haunted my nightmares but it was worth it). My cousin then bought me the four-book Harry Potter box set - because that was all that was released at the time - and I fell in love. They were the first books I ever owned, the first books I ever picked up of my own accord, and the rest, as they say, is history. I was an addict. And that, my friends, is the story of how I first got into Harry Potter.

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I gave this a lot of thought and truth be told, J K Rowling nails it when it comes to giving her characters, even minor ones, an interesting back-story. Ron's colourful family life is explored, the heart-breaking truth behind the fate of Neville's parents is revealed, and even Sirius' brother, Regulus, has a tragic history that is bound to his short life. Dumbledore's murky past is exposed, Snape's misunderstood intentions and actions come to light, and the transformation of Tom Marvolo Riddle to the notorious Voldemort is thoroughly detailed. Hagrid, the Marauders, hell, even the house-elves, each have a story dedicated to them.

And as much as I would be fascinated to know more about Bellatrix, her psycho ass doesn't really need much explaining. So I'm going for Lucius. I feel like he, and even Draco, are misunderstood in their own way. I'd love to know his history, his time at Hogwarts when the Chamber of Secrets was first opened, and what led to him becoming one of Voldemort's most famed Death Eaters. Because let's face it, his involvement always seems so half-hearted. He's at Voldemort's disposal simply out of fear and more often than not, it comes across as though he is gripped by his own insecurities that are later projected onto Draco. In fact, Draco's bigger story-line on Half-Blood Prince is driven by the consequences of his father's actions and it's interesting to see how, despite claims of being avid followers of Voldemort, they almost disagree with his war for power. There are a number of pivotal moments, especially in books six and seven, that inevitably cause a shift in the relationship between Harry and Draco, and not to mention the scene in which Narcissa lies about Harry's death, intentionally, or unwittingly, setting in motion the fall of the Dark Lord - what started off as a mutual animosity becomes something so much bigger throughout the series and there are definitely points in the book that make me want to know more about the Malfoys as a whole. They're some of the more complex, multi-dimensional characters that J K Rowling has written and it'd be interesting to see their tough exterior taken apart to reveal the raw nature that underlies their arrogant, snarky selves.

I pre-ordered Deathly Hallows months in advance. Well, at that time, I was too young to own an Amazon account and a debit card, but my mum pre-ordered it for me and that's kind of the same thing. It's crazy how vivid this release day is in my head. We were going to Gloucester to visit my grandparents, and we were packing up the car, and the doorbell rang with my beloved parcel which I rushed upstairs to rip open, naturally. And there was my copy of Deathly Hallows, the adult edition, in all its glory. I was itching to start reading it that very second but I couldn't because I was travelling (and I get car nausea when reading in the car) so I had to wait till I actually got to Gloucester before I could dive in. And when I did, I couldn't stop. 

I. Could. Not. Stop. 

I holed myself up in the attic (because it's the only room in which there's privacy) and I read for nine hours straight, just about taking breaks for lunch and dinner. I literally flew through it and while I had to re-read it for the ending of my favourite series to actually sink in, I loved every second of that day. Ah, the feels.

How is this even a question?! I need an epilogue for even the most mundane of books so God help me if I don't want, hell, expect, the same for my favourite series of all time. I do wish it was a little longer though. Whilst it's short and sweet, and a truly fitting end for a phenomenal series that took the world by storm, I wish it would have been an actual chapter-length epilogue in which J K Rowling visited all the characters and their lives nineteen years later, from Luna to the Weasleys to Hagrid. I understand that's greedy on my part and not in the least bit practical and wholly wishful thinking so I guess I can forgive her. Just about.

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My go-to answer for this question is automatically Goblet of Fire because in terms of book-to-screen adaptations, it is, in my opinion, the most accurate and the most captivating. I love it for all the wonderful reasons that I love the book (also, the humour is on point), but since I've used GoF already and repetitive answers are boring, I'm going with Deathly Hallows II. As far as a movie finale goes, it blows any other film out of the water. Whilst it deviates significantly from the book, I think it captures the emotional and physical toll of the penultimate movie, to deliver a spectacular conclusion to such a renowned story. The Battle of Hogwarts is a cinematic masterpiece. With its emotional edge and exhilarating action, it is simply executed to perfection. And so, for the emotional and cinematographic appreciation, and for not falling at the final hurdle, for bringing to life the tragedies and victories that define the pages of the Deathly Hallows book, the final movie of the series takes away the award for favourite movie.

Having directed the Harry Potter movies from Order of the Phoenix onwards, his best work of the four is, undoubtedly, Deathly Hallows II and like I said above, it's a regal piece of cinema. It could have gone wrong in so many ways, it could have been riddled with crushing disappointment and shattered expectations, but he handled every angle of the movie flawlessly. The more I watch it, the more I admire how cleverly he brought to life his image of the final Harry Potter instalment - and I think I speak on behalf of the entire fandom when I say that it lived up to the image we had of it all along...

I'll be honest, there's not a single casting decision that I can fault. Every major and minor character is exactly how I imagined them to be and their portrayal of their characters is nailed to a T. But if I have to absolutely pick one, it has to be Alan Rickman because he plays his role as well as Snape plays his in the book. His acting is just quality.

This scene is by far one of my favourites in the seventh film. It is such a beautiful, aesthetically pleasing animation that is dream-like, whimsical, almost magical in its own right and is, yet again, proof of David Yates' creative genius.

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My heart was pounding throughout this scene. From the moment she spots Harry and Hermione in the graveyard, to the moment Hermione pulls Harry and herself to safety, my heart was pounding. And it jumped - literally jumped - when Nagini launches herself at Harry. Shit, man. It's a dark, dark scene that scares the hell outta me every single time.

His British accent, his rough look, his sense of humour...yup, definitely Dan Rad. (Daniel Radcliffe in Prisoner of Azkaban is - *sigh* - dreamy. Just putting that out there. 12 years on and I still crush on that kid).

Why did they make Harry snap the damn Elder Wand and chuck it into to the middle of nowhere without him repairing his original wand?!? This is actually such a huge deal in the books. There is such significance behind Harry breaking his wand - given the magic of wandlore and more specifically, its connection to Voldemort's wand - and in the end, using the Elder Wand to fix it, and then they just cut that out of the movie! I hate hate hate that they left it out. (I also hate that they hint at a Harry-Hermione romance in Deathly Hallows I when it's not even remotely hinted at in the books. That stupid dancing scene in the tent never fails in making me cringe. It should not have been done. Just no. But I hate the non-existent wand scene more).

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Shy, introverted, quiet...my Patronus matches hers, and go figure, I see a lot of my traits in her - maybe I am a Ravenclaw after all...

c h i l d h o o d