Harry Potter Blogfest, Steve Fuller's The Sickness and a Mini Misha Meme

Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff or Slytherin? Which house would you be sorted into and who would be your mates if you were at Hogwarts?

"Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts, / Teach us something please,
Whether we be old and bald, / Or young with scabby knees
Our heads could do with filling, / With some interesting stuff,
For now they're bare and full of air, / Dead flies and bits of fluff,
So teach us things worth knowing, / Bring back what we've forgot,
Just do your best, we'll do the rest, / And learn until our brains all rot."

My off the cuff answer was going to be Neville Longbottom and Luna Lovegood; one Gryffindor, one Ravenclaw, a nice mix of brave, brainy, mysterious and exciting.

But then I started thinking... I don't have to choose students from Harry's generation, do I?

I kind of wonder what it might be like to talk for a while with Snape, maybe visit Hogsmeade with him a couple of times. And I've always had a crush on Lupin. I wonder if he ever got close to anyone besides his two best friends (not counting Pettigrew)? Until Tonks, that is.

Then again, it might be rather interesting to go further back and be friends with McGonagall.

Oh the possibilities! Tonks, Fred, George...

Sorry, got a bit distracted there, rereading bits of the books and also one long interview after another with J.K. Rowling.

So then, if I've got to pick only two... I have to do it. I'll choose Severus Snape and Remus Lupin.

Sorry, Neville and Luna! I just think I could be a sort of Lily stand-in; only instead of James, I'd be interested in Remus. I'm not sure how that might play out, because since I'm not Lily, I might live longer than her, and it would be rather strange to continue to be friends - or at least someone he talks to every once in a while - with Snape in the later years. Would it make things harder for him, having a somewhat close friend when he's so busy 'occlumensing' everyone out of his mind and life? Would I have to train to be a brilliant Occlumens myself, so that Voldemort never got wind of our friendship?

And what of Lupin? Was there anyone before Tonks and the Order of the Phoenix that knew of his condition? How close did he manage to get to others? All those years when he was nearly down and out, taking odd jobs wherever he could, it would be nice to think he had a few friends he could rely on.

That was great fun to think through; thanks for a wonderful Harry Potter blogfest, Michael! (Follow the linky to see everyone else's choice of mates!)

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Steve Fuller's novel The Sickness was released last year, but what with one thing and another, I've only just gotten around to finishing it. A suspenseful psychological thriller, it's written in a time jump style that works quite well; the reader is pulled along and guided at every step of the way, though the plot might leap forward a few months or step back over a year. The main character - well, one of them at any rate (I won't give everything away!) - is a man caught in the deathly spiral of an addiction, and the story spins on his hope for redemption yet eventual, and inevitable, unravelling.

Or does it? A host of other characters come into play, each with their own histories and motivations, and one of the most important isn't introduced until near the end; Detective Bruce Kraft, who will feature in Fuller's next novel, The Ripple, coming out next Monday. If you like a dark thriller/mystery, this one's for you.

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Misha's got a neat question and answer session on - hop over and fill in the blanks.

Comments

Trisha said…
There are so many great characters to choose from, it's not easy! I'm not participating but look forward to reading everyone's entries :D
J.L. Murphey said…
For me it's Luna Lovegood, although in age I rank up there with McGonagall. I'm in my own little world, but it's okay they know me here. :D
Carrie said…
Good HP answer! I have always wondered about Lupin...
Margo Benson said…
Fun HP post - I'm also a Lupin fan (all that chocolate!) - I like your logic here!
Poor Snape. Always hiding his true self. Always pretending. Always fighting for the greater good and no one knew. He made so many sacrifices for his boss, for the kids, for love.
Good choice.
HMG
Tony Benson said…
Ah, fun. So many great characters to chose as friends - I'm sur we'd be friends with more than just two! Still, if we have to pick two, I like your choices :-)
Hart Johnson said…
You know... I wrote a 300,000 word (yes, you read that right) fan fiction that has Lily DEEPLY crushing on Lupin, but he pushes her toward James because of his 'condition'. The Lily of my story though, does indeed have Remus and Snape as her best friends... (I adore Lupin myself... my feelings for young Snape though, are more like pity) Nice choices!
N. R. Williams said…
I love Lupin too. Almost took him. Nice post, you mention so many characters.
Nancy
N. R. Williams, The Treasures of Carmelidrium.
Michael Di Gesu said…
Love the thought process on your entry, Deniz. It's so true there are SO many fantastic characters to choose from.

Thanks for participating and making such a fun fest!

Michael
Colene Murphy said…
Awe, Snape is a good choice too! Lupin seems to be a favorite today! He rocks...
Marsha A. Moore said…
Snape would definitely be my choice of the professors to hang with. Love that edge he has, between good an evil. A mysterious man!
NiaRaie said…
Oh I didn't think to choose from the faculty! I also love Lupin, but I'd take McGonagall over Snape, though he'd be interesting too
Carolyn Abiad said…
I'm a fan of Sirius Black myself. What house would I be sorted into? Maybe Ravenclaw? Always been drawn to Rowena Ravenclaw. :)
Bess Weatherby said…
Interesting combination! I love to think of Snape actually having a friend. Yay! I think his life would have been so much better if he'd had you :)
Susan Fobes said…
Oh my, you chose Snape. I would like to think you could have mellowed him a bit since it seems he got on most everyone's last nerve except for Dumbledore. Now Lupin is interesting...
Marie Rearden said…
I didn't even consider Remus! You're such a smartie. Ohmygosh. What about Sirius? I'm such a sucker for the bad boy.

Great post. I like the idea of befriending Sev in those early, less heart-broken years.

Marie at the Cheetah
Carol Riggs said…
Interesting choices! It's so amusing and intriguing to see what characters people are choosing for this blogfest. :)
Deniz Bevan said…
Thank you all for coming by! Work has been crazy busy but I'm really looknig forward to seeing what everyone else had to say.

I couldn't help but go through every character Trisha - made for a lot of rereading [g]

Yay for Luna, J.L. - she was one of the first that I thought of.

Thanks Carrie and Margo. I don't know why I find Lupin so attractive. I was really mad when I found out he'd left Tonks!

Thanks Heather and Tony and N.R.! And oh, Hart, that sounds exactly like the sort of thing I was thinking. 300,000 words, wow.

Thank *you* for coming up with such a great blogfest, Michael! Really looknig forward to having time for blogging this weekend and finding out who you chose as friends.

Thanks Colene and Marsha and NiaRaie! The funny thing is, I didn't go with McGonagall cos I couldn't figure out who would make a good 'third' for us. She seems like a good best friend but not a group friend.

Thanks for coming by Carolyn! I thought of Sirius - and even Regulus - but I think he'd be a bit too 'wild' for me.

Aw, thanks Bess and Susan! I just can't help it, I really like Snape. I was always interested in his motives and still couldn't quite believe that he was at fault at the end of Half-blood Prince. Like Harry, I kept thinking, but Dumbledore trusted Snape and Dumbledore trusts where no one else would. By the time I got to the end of the last book, the first time around, I was already weeping. And now every time I reread it I just love Snape all the more.

Thanks Marie, and thanks Carol. I just wish I had time to make the rounds today! Sooo many characters to choose from...
Nas said…
Thanks for sharing! It was a fun read!
Deniz Bevan said…
Thanks for coming by Nas!
Susan Fields said…
Wow, The Sickness really sounds good! I'll keep an eye out for it.

I love your HP choices! I never would have thought to go with the older generation, but yes, I'd love to be friends with Snape and Lupin. I loved the little snippets into their time at Hogwarts.

I left you an award at my blog today. :)
Deniz Bevan said…
I love those snippets too - I wonder if JK Rowling will ever write more back story tales?
Thanks for the award!
Nicki Elson said…
Well, maybe YOU could've saved Snape form turning to the dark side in the first place. Of course, he was sorta needed as a double agent for the undoing of Voldemort...buuut, if Snape hadn't turned bad, he wouldn't have given Voldy the goods on the Potters, and they wouldn't have died so all of you could've destroyed him at an earlier point! Excellent choice in friends, and thanks for saving the world. ;)
Unknown said…
An interesting choice of mates! Don't think I've seen anyone else with this combo...
Deniz Bevan said…
Thanks Nicki and Rachel! Saving the world, gosh I hadn't thought that far...
Talli Roland said…
Lots of good stuff going on here, Deniz! I don't know much about HP (for shame, I know...) but The Sickness sounds interesting.
Deniz Bevan said…
Say, how come, Talli? I know I avoided the HP books for ages cos I thought they were just some popular fad, but read the first four all at once after my sister borrowed them from a friend - and was pleased to discover how good they really are!