HP character costumes, end of the HP series

[Elizabeth Dalton]

No: HPFGUIDX 32547

Tabouli wrote:

> I personally think that Trelawney would be **much** more fun than
> McGonagall... McGonagall has her moments, but she's altogether too prim
> and stern and conservative to be a good character for a party costume.
> Trelawney, on the other hand, is a wonderful caricature: hours of fun
> draping gauzy scarves and jingling jewellery and sequins around one's
> body, not to mention putting on that gloriously silly spooky voice and
> predicting tragic fates for everyone at the party... yeahhh, that's the
> stuff!  I could even be persuaded to do a Lockhart impression in drag
> if I was feeling silly enough, and could find an appropriately awful
> coiffed blond wig (though I still think Trelawney would be more
> entertaining).  I am a firm believer in getting into the spirit of
> things when it comes to dress-up parties.  People who turn up in normal
> clothes... pah! 

Oh, absolutely. My other offered choice was Hooch. Can you imagine? I'd 
rather be handing out chocolate as Mdm. Pomfrey... (my mom gets that 
part.) I did a quick demo of my Trelawney for my nephew yesterday, to show 
him how much fun it would be, but it really weirded him out. Guess he 
wasn't prepared to have me grab his hand, stare aghast at his palm, tell 
him he has the shortest lifeline I've ever seen, and then freak out about 
seeing an imaginary Grim over his shoulder my mom's kitchen. Maybe I 
overdid it. :)

McGonnagal is the one I'm probably more like, though. In fact, my brother, 
who is the one organizing the party (it's for his 7-year-old son) told me 
I'd be a *perfect* McGonnagal. But he's letting his best female friend 
take the part, because she asked for it first. <sigh.>

> What are people's thoughts?  Which HP character would you dress as for a 
> party, and why?  (Tabouli peeks nervously over her shoulder at the Mods, 
> wondering if this is canonical enough for the main list)
> 

Quick, before they shut us down! Er... it's part of character analysis, 
yeah, that's it.... we're furthering our understanding by imagining what 
it would be like to *be* them for an afternoon. Right. (Elizabeth is also 
peering around nervously.)

Actually, if you can be Lockhart, I'd like to try Snape. Now *there's* a 
part with scope. ;) (My dad gets that part, and he's going to completely 
muff it. He hasn't read the books, nor even seen the film, and he has 
completely the wrong personality for it. If we're lucky, he'll come off as 
a hacked Scrooge.)

Getting back to our canon-based predictions:

> I suspect a survivor-Harry will be in need of a strong supportive woman 
> to soothe his nightmares and weep on the shoulder of (if he can bring 
> himself to cry by then... perhaps this would be a poignant note to sound 
> near the end of the series... Harry finally develops the strength to 
> show weakness). 

I sort of see what you mean, but I don't buy it. I think Harry is destined 
to be alone (if he survives at all). And so is Snape, IMO. (If *he* falls 
in love, call the coffin-maker.)

I agree with you about the Dursleys, though.

> 
> Conversely, if Harry were to die, the victory has to be more complete to 
> justify the sacrifice (e.g. thanks to Harry, the Death-Eaters are  
> disbanded, the Dursleys are reformed, the Dementors are slain, the  
> House-Elves are liberated, the Wizarding World is saved, Hermione and  
> Ron stumble sadly into the sunset together, and Hogwarts names their new  
> wing after him and replaces the Fat Lady with a portrait of Harry,  
> etc.etc.), unless JKR is really going for the jugular in the death and  
> devastation stakes.  Possible, but I'll wait to see the tone of Book 5  
> the Eternally Delayed before making any commitments to odds.

I like naming the wing after him. I can't see the portrait. When he's 
gone, he's gone, and that's it. (Somehow I've always had the impression 
that the real "personable" portraits were of fictional people, unlike the 
photos-- otherwise it would be too much like being able to bring dead 
people back.) I could easily see Hermione teaching at Hogwarts, though. 
They should force Binns into retirement; she easily knows as much history 
as he does. Though there may be no shortage of positions, as we'll 
probably lose McGonnagal in the upcoming fight, and maybe several other 
teachers as well.

Bizarre irony... can you just see Neville teaching Potions? (Actually, 
Gred or Forge might be a better choice.)

Elizabeth
(Who, like many others on this list, earnestly wishes she could think of a 
good reason that *she* could be teaching at Hogwarts....)