I need you all!

[lucianam73]

potterfan9349 at y asked:
>
<snipped, left just the questions>

Lucianam answers:

> 1) On a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being a Potter-obsessed superfan who 
> has read all the books a thousand times, has been to all the movie 
> premiers and book releases, wears Harry Potter underwear, etc.), 
how 
> big of a Harry Potter fan are you?

9, I'd say, if I compare myself to my family and friends; 6 or 7 in 
comparison to other people around the fandom. 
So I'll settle on 7.
 
> 2) How long did it take you to read the books?  How many times 
have 
> you read each one?  Which is your favorite?

It usually takes me 5 days to read a HP book if it's new, but I read 
HBP in 2 days as it was much smaller than the others. 
Proportionally, OotP took me a whole week. If I'm re-reading, I can 
take as long as a month: I'll read a bit here, a bit there, leave it 
on my desk as I read other books simultaneously.
How many times? I don't remember, but here's a good approximation: 
PS: more than 3 times.
CoS, GoF and HBP: more than 4 times.
OotP and PoA, more than 5 times, I think I read OotP 7 times but I'm 
not sure.
My favorite is OotP by far. I don't like the part about Grawp at all 
(awful, in my opinion, and unnecessary) and the last two appallingly 
bad chapters (as bad as Spiner's End I'd say) but I liked its 
narrative style a lot more than I did in the other books, perhaps 
only CoS resembling it a little. I liked the longer sentences and 
the detailed description of places and chracater moods. But leaving 
literary development aside, as far as only the plot is concerned, 
PoA is the best book of the whole series in my opinion.
 
> 3) How has Harry Potter changed your life? What purposes do Harry 
> Potter books serve beyond entertainment?

It hasn't changed it much , since I've always liked fantasy - before 
HP it was Buffy. Before that I used to like LotR, Star Wars (the old 
trilogy), x-Men ... But I'll admit HP is the biggest so far. I spend 
a lot of time online, which I didn't before. And fanfiction, which I 
like a lot, is also something I never gave a second thought to 
before the Harry Potter fandom came along.
 
> 4) What is the craziest thing you've done for Harry Potter?

I'm sure the huge amount of moeny I've spent on books, calendars, 
audiobooks and t-shirts counts as crazy.
 
> 5) Do you own any unusual Harry Potter merchandise or 
> paraphernalia?  What is your largest or weirdest collection?

Nothing unusual, unless homemade t-shirts are unusual.
 
> 6) If you could be any Harry Potter character, which one would you 
> be and why?

Buckbeak!!! I could fly, flash menacing talons and beak, and hang 
out with Sirius Black. Enough said!

> 7) What is it that makes Harry Potter books so great that any age 
> can enjoy them?

They're so funny. And the characters are very believable and feel 
alive (except for some of the latest ones, introduced in OotP - with 
Slughorn I was happy to see JKR producing a solid character again).

> 8) Have you been to any midnight premiers or book releases?  Did 
you 
> dress up?  Describe your experience.

Nah, I'm not a dress-up kind of fan.
 
> 9) What separate the fans from the FANS?

I'm not sure. I don't know if I'm a fan or a FAN, really. If you 
compare me with 'normal' people I'm a huge Potter nutter, but then 
again if you put me side to side with other people in the fandom... 
Oh, sorry. Not helping much in this one.
 
> 10) Is there a special "lingo" of Harry Potter fans?  Are there 
> specific phrases or vocabulary that define the group?

I don't think so. There are words people will use on the internet, 
in certain sites and in forums, but not in RL. I think the 'lingo' 
would fall more in the category of netspeak than anything else.
 
> 11) What are your views on people who oppose Harry Potter books, 
> saying they are sacreligious and teach children witchcraft?

I don't  believe in witchcraft (how many adults actually do?????) so 
I don't take those accusations seriously. About the books being 
sacreligious, I don't think so, they don't talk about religion at 
all, how could anyone find them disrespectful to religion if it 
isn't even mentioned??
(Assuming 'disrespectful to religion' is a valid interpretation of 
the word 'sacreligious' here)
 
> 12) Any other things you might want to say about Harry Potter 
books.

Yes, I don't love them as much as I did when Sirius was alive, and I 
didn't completely like HBP, but I'm still curious as ever about the 
next Potter book. Bring it on!

Lucianam